


Black Pearl

by okaytaehyung



Series: Got7 Dragon Riders! AU [2]
Category: ASTRO (Band), GOT7, 크나큰 | KNK (Band)
Genre: Dragon Rider!AU, Dragons, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, King!Youngjae, M/M, Minor Injuries, Multi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pirates, bts cameo, but not many dragons in this book, or just plain Angst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-29
Updated: 2018-09-12
Packaged: 2019-01-06 16:42:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 12
Words: 27,069
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12214746
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/okaytaehyung/pseuds/okaytaehyung
Summary: After defeating Seung-Li, the Kingdom of Saeris isn’t done with conflict. The newly crowned King is forced to test his skills after the nation is bombarded with attacks from Pirates(this is an awful summary I know)King Youngjae and his band of Dragon Riders aren’t given enough of a break





	1. Prolouge

“Where are they?” Jaebum growls, his voice dangerously low. It sends shivers up Jinyoung’s spine. Yugyeom is pacing, his eyes glued to the floor as he walks back and forth across the small room. Jaebum is still fuming, Jinyoung can practically see the steam bursting from his ears. 

“Jaebum you need to relax, they’ll come back soon,” Mark says softly, attempting to calm the younger male down. He reaches a hand out to place it on Jaebum’s shoulder, but the younger seats him away. 

“You know it’s not like them to be out this late,” Jaebum snarls. He almost sounded like an angry mother, but Jinyoung shouldn’t be making jokes, not in this situation. Mark is silenced by Jaebum’s comment, because Jaebum is right and everyone knows it. Jinyoung runs his fingers through his hair, letting out a shaky breath. Jaebum finally sits down in a velvet cushioned chair, putting his elbows on his knees. He puts his head in his hands, tugging at his hair. The room goes silent. No one knows what to say or what to do next. 

Suddenly, the door to the room opens, revealing a breathless Jackson. Jaebum’s head shoots up, staring at Jackson from across the room. The sound of heavy breathing fills the room. Jackson quickly composes himself.

“There are Pirates, in the harbor,” he says, his voice still showing signs of fatigue. 

“Witnesses report seeing Youngjae and Kunpimook forced onto the ship before it began its departure,” Jackson continued. Jinyoung can hear the clock in his head, counting down in slow rocks as they wait for Jaebum to explode. 

But surprisingly, he doesn’t. 

He stands up and clears his throat. His eyes are narrowed. 

“I want the Navy out there immediately, Yugyeom, Jackson, Mark, go with them, Jinyoung and I will stay back,” Jaebum says. Anger shakes his voice, but he stays calm. 

Jinyoung slowly nods his head. The others stare at Jaebum in shock. Finally Jinyoung speaks up.

“Don’t just stand there! Let's get moving.”


	2. one. begin

The sharp knock on the door is what awakens Youngjae. His head snaps up, eyes open. The curtains let the morning sun into the room. He covers his sensitive eyes before turning to look at the door. “Come in,” he says, his voice raspy from sleep. The door handle turns as the door creaks open. Mark peeks his head inside, as soon as he spots Youngjae he frowns.

“Youngjae, you can’t keep falling asleep at your desk. You need to rest properly,” Mark scolds, walking into the room, closing the door behind him. “After I didn’t find you in your room, I knew you would be here,” he adds with a sigh. Youngjae runs his fingers through his messy hair. 

“Are Jaebum and Jackson coming home today?” Youngjae wonders, quickly changing the subject of the conversation. Mark knows exactly what the newly crowned King is doing, but he goes along with the new topic. 

“Yeah, they should be here around noon,” Mark says, a smile tugging at his lips. Jackson and Jaebum had been gone with the military for weeks to train and begin to lead Saeris’s armed force. Of course Youngjae had been happy with the others that stayed behind, but he had missed Jackson’s loud and positive personality and Jaebum’s presence throughout the day and night. Since Jaebum and Jackson had been gone, Mark and Jinyoung had slept with Youngjae in his room to keep the young king company while Jaebum was away. 

“Yugyeom and Kunpimook just returned from checking around town for the needs of the people,” Mark continues. “There’s still a food shortage because of the destruction of farmland.” Youngjae rubs his eyes and stands up. His back aches from sleeping bent over the desk. Lately, no one had been eating well, even at the Palace. Since farmland had been destroyed by dragons returning to the island nation, food in the market had gotten low, there wasn’t much to buy, and people were forced to use food they saved for the winter months. As the King, Youngjae had to find a solution. 

“Can we ask for donations from other Kingdoms, Thonada is sure to help us after returning Taehyung and Jungkook to them,” Youngjae suggests, remembering the two Thonadians they met while taking the Kingdom back. The two were important members of Thonada’s navy that had been captured by Pirates and sold as slaves. Youngjae and Jaebum has discovered them while searching for Mark after he had been captured. 

“I can send a message, but donations won’t be enough to sustain the Kingdom,” Mark points out. Youngjae knows that. He exhales and steps towards Mark. 

“We should probably ride out to see if land is being put back together and offer any help,” Youngjae suggests. Mark nods and offers his hand to the younger male. Youngjae smiles, taking Mark’s hand. 

“Let's go quick before Jackson and Jaebum get back,” Mark says with a smile as he leads Youngjae out of the office and into the hall. Mark hums as he moves down the hall, swinging his arms? moving Youngjae’s arm as well. 

“Has the stress gotten better?” Mark wondered, turning his head to look at Youngjae. The younger male shrugs, glancing at Mark for a moment.

“I wasn’t exactly ready to be King so suddenly, so I’m still figuring things out, it will be stressful until I figure out how to do my job,” Youngjae says with a smile. The two turn the corner to head down the grand staircase. 

“Kunpimook and Yugyeom are probably in the stables, Kunpimook has taken a liking to the horses,” Mark claimed. They reach the bottom of the staircase. The large double doors in front of them open before they can grab the handle. The doors are pushed open by an outside force. Mark stops, Youngjae going still beside him. Youngjae’s eyes go wide when two people enter the foyer.

“Jaebum! Jackson!” Youngjae exclaims, a bright smile appearing on his face. Jaebum’s expression as he walks in is conflicted. Jackson walks in at his side, there are bruises on the left side of his face, he’s holding his right shoulder. Youngjae’s smile fades as he notices Jackson’s wounds. 

“What the hell happened?” Mark exclaims, rushing towards Jackson, his fingers gently brushing over a bruise on his cheekbone. 

“Pirates, they docked somewhere. A group of them jumped us in the market,” Jaebum growls. Youngjae notices the thin trail of blood running down the left side of Jaebum’s face. 

“How do we get them to leave?” Youngjae asked, totally forgetting about Mark’s plan to visit the destroyed farmland. Jackson grimaced as Mark inspected the bruises and his seemingly dislocated shoulder. 

“Even if we threaten them, they won’t leave. We don’t even know where they are docked. But I knew they were Pirates,” Jaebum says. Youngjae frowned. He had hoped for a happy reunion with him and the two new Army generals. But instead of stress relief, the two only brought back a problem. 

Pirates had always been a problem. Youngjae remembered his father always telling him stories about the Pirates he had defeated while traveling with the Kingdom’s Navy. Pirates were labeled as savages, burly older men who were thirsty for blood. Youngjae had never encountered these Pirates, but he had heard all the stories. “Jae, don’t worry about it, we’ll figure something out,” Jaebum’s soothing voice snaps Youngjae out of his thoughts. 

“Right,” the younger male says quickly. “Let's get you two to the infirmary, Jinyoung hyung is going to give you two an earful,” Youngjae says, taking Jaebum’s calloused hands. Mark walks at Jackson’s side, his eyes wandering over the bruises on his face that darken by the minute. 

“How have you been?” Jaebum asks suddenly, looking over to catch Youngjae’s wandering gaze. Youngjae smiles softly and laughs. 

“Stressed,” he answers with a dramatic sigh. Jaebum chuckles softly, squeezing the younger male’s hand. 

“I really missed you all. Training was rough,” Jaebum explains with a sigh of his own. Jaebum looked ahead, like he was recalling his time training with the Saerin armed forces. “I’ll have to tell you all of my stories later, we have more important matters to talk about now,” Jaebum says with a disappointed sigh. Red blood continues to slowly trickle down the side of his face, coming from a cut on his forehead by his hairline. Finally, they approach the infirmary. Inside, Jinyoung is standing by an open cabinet, putting away different bottles of medicinal herbs. Mark knocks on the doorframe to alert Jinyoung of their presence. Jinyoung turns, his eyes widening. 

“I hate you both, now sit down,” the medic groans as he turns back to the cabinet. “Jackson, lay down,” he adds as he pulls a few bandages and gauze out from the cabinet. Youngjae follows Jaebum as he moves to sit down on one of the beds close to the cabinet. Jackson follows at Mark’s side, the older male helping him up onto the bed and helping him lay down. Jinyoung walks towards Jaebum and hands a patch of gauze to Youngjae. 

“Hold this over that cut while i help Jackson,” Jinyoung instructs before heading over to the bed that Jackson lay on. Youngjae turns to Jaebum, his delicate hands reaching up to move Jaebum’s hair away from the cut at his hairline. Once the dark hair is moved out of the way, Youngjae gently presses the white patch of gauze to the cut. Jaebum hisses slightly as the fabric comes in contact with the open wound. The older male flinches slightly, causing the gauze to rub against the torn skin.

“Don’t move too much,” Youngjae advises, cleaning up some of the blood around the wound. He gazed over at Jinyoung who is standing at Jackson’s side. He holds the dislocated limb at a ninety degree angle holding his forearm off of the bed. 

“Hold his other shoulder down please, this will hurt,” Jinyoung says to Mark. The older male nods and moves to Jackson’s other side, gently pressing down on his uninjured shoulder. “Take a deep breath, on my count,” Jinyoung starts. “Breathe in, one, two, three,” Jackson breathes in, closing his eyes, his nose scrunched with anticipation. “Breathe out,” Jinyoung says. Almost immediately, he pulls on Jackson’s arm. The injured male yells out in pain as a loud cracking sound echoes through the room. Jackson tries to sit up but Mark holds him down so he won’t re-injure his arm. Beside Youngjae, Jaebum cringes from the cracking sound of Jackson’s shoulder being forced back into place. 

The gauze that Youngjae holds against the cut on Jaebum’s forehead is soaked in blood. Youngjae’s eyes widen in sudden fear. “Hyung! Jaebum’s wound is still bleeding, he’ll bleed out at this rate!” Youngjae yelps. Jinyoung turns to him and laughs softly, walking towards him. 

“Don’t worry, head wounds do tend to bleed more. I’ve patched up many wounds like that, the bleeding should stop soon if you keep applying pressure to the cut. I’ll get you a different piece of gauze,” Jinyoung explains. Jaebum snorts, catching Youngjae's attention. Youngjae pouts and throws the bloody piece of gauze at the older male. 

“What?” Youngjae exclaimed with false anger. Jaebum’s eyes stay on him as he tries not to laugh. 

“You’re cute,” Jaebum sighs. Jinyoung walks back over to them with a bigger and clean piece of gauze. 

“Press it against the wound so the bleeding will slow,” Jinyoung advises, handing the gauze to Youngjae. He nods in understanding and takes the gauze in his hand before pressing it to the still bleeding wound. Jaebum hisses softly from the initial sting, his fingers find themselves tangled in Youngjae’s shirt as the stinging numbs into a dull throb. Jinyoung moves back over the the cabinet, pulling out a sling made from strong cloth. Him and Mark guide Jackson’s arm into the sling as Jinyoung gives him a whole speech on what he can’t do until he’s healed. Jaebum takes the gauze out of Youngjae’s hand, pressing it against the wound on his own. 

“You weren’t doing a good enough job,” Jaebum jokes, watching Youngjae false anger grow. He has to hold back his laughter as Jaebum stares him down. Suddenly, there’s a loud crash in the hallway. Youngjae turns around, fists clenched. Everyone’s gaze is trained on the doorway, as their is a eerie silence. 

“Yugyeom-ah! Get off of me!” Kunpimook’s distressed voice calls. Youngjae exhales and walks towards the door, peaking out into the hallway. Yugyeom and Kunpimook lay in a heap a few feet past the doorway. They argue together until Yugyeom catches Youngjae standing in the doorway. He gives the older male a sheepish grin. 

“I, uh, overshot the door,” he says, cheeks flushing pink in embarrassment. Youngjae lets out a lighthearted laugh. 

“Overshot is an understatement,” Kunpimook grumbles, slapping Yugyeom’s butt as he untangles himself from the younger and stands up, brushing himself off. Yugyeom snorts as Kunpimook straightens up. The white haired male shoots a glare back at Yugyeom before smiling back at Youngjae.

“Come on you two, everyone’s here,” Youngjae says, walking out into the hall and towards Yugyeom. He reaches his hand out to the younger male who gratefully tales his hand to pull himself to his feet. And together, they join the other four Dragon Riders in the infirmary.

-x-

The city is dark, the nightlife only beginning to appear. Men hurrying to the taverns, beautiful young women standing outside, trying to lure in a companion for the night. But the late night partygoers don’t notice the shadow creeping through the dark alleyways. The figure is dressed in dark tattered clothes, a cloth covers his nose and mouth. His eyes are observant and well adjusted to the darkness. After being stationary, watching passerby’s, the figure begins climbing his way onto the roof of the tavern. The cold night wind hits his face as he stands on the roof of the building. From the roof he can see the lights decorating the buildings of the city. 

Then he vanishes. If he had been spotted atop the roof, people could probably assume their minds were playing tricks on them. The man swiftly scales the rooftops, heading to the northern point of the city. Soon he is forced back onto the ground by the lack of buildings. He even makes it back to the ground with expert stealth. His brown hair is whipped into his eyes by the wind as he disappears into the forest. He knows exactly where he’s going after making the same journey many nights in a row. And finally, after moving through the brush and weaving through trees, he finds himself on the beach of a small lagoon. And in the lagoon, was a ship. But not just any ship. The ship was made of fine wood. Torches were lit so the crew of the ship could find their way around the deck in the darkness of the night. On the side of the ship, painting in bold white letters was ASTRO. The man pulls the cloth down from his nose and mouth so it rests around his neck. 

“Bin hyung! Throw the ladder down!” The man yells out, cupping one hand around his mouth to sound louder. From the helm, a tall, lanky male appears, making his way to the side of the ship. The man on the shore walks over to the brush, dragging a small rowboat out from hiding. He carefully pushed the boat into the water, taking the oats into his hands before sitting down in the boat. He then begins the journey to the Pirate ship. The man, Bin, waits for him on the deck, his forearms rested on the railing. Once the man reaches the side of the boat, he ties a rope to the boat to keep it from floating away before he grabs onto the rope ladder and begins climbing up to get onto the deck. Once he’s at the railing, Bin reaches a hand out to him to pull him up. 

“Welcome back, Minhyuk,” Bin smiles, his eyes curving as well as his lips. “Did you find anything useful? Youjin and Seungjun came back earlier kind of roughed up,” he adds a moment later as Minhyuk is stable on the deck. 

“Jaebum and Jackson are back, sooner than we thought, we have to wait,” Minhyuk sighs, rubbing his eyes. Bin throws his arm over the younger male’s shoulder,

“The plan will work, don’t stress. You must be starving. Luckily Dongmin and Myungjun cooked tonight, go eat something,” Bin says happily. Minhyuk thanks him silently before making his way into the cabin of the ship.

The moon was high in the sky, shining over the island kingdom of Saeris. The clam ocean water splashed against the shores. 

The calm before the storm.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry.
> 
> This chapter took so much longer than I anticipated. The last few weeks of school have been busy, with homecoming and dance team, I haven’t been able to sit down and write. This chapter wasn’t as long as I wanted it to be but I hope you liked the first chapter. 
> 
> I will try my best to get the second chapter out soon!


	3. two. glory

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is not about Got7, this introduces the backstory of two of the Pirates that come into the story a bit later. I really wanted to make KNK and ASTRO involved, so I decided why not write a 3000 word chapter about how Jihun became a Pirate Captain, so that’s what this chapter is :)
> 
> I’m also really proud of it.

The streets of Asirenia were crowded with bodies of the citizens gathered together for the annual King’s Day Festival. A young boy, about the age of seven, pushes through the crowd, his eyes wide in awe. Paper lanterns light the streets, shops and restaurants happily welcome guests on this glorious holiday, The young boy had escaped the watchful eye of his mother to search for the court jesters that were said to be performing soon in the main square near the Palace.

The wide eyed boy pushes his way through the adults standing and waiting for the show. Many other kids are standing in the front to see better. The young boy stands in front, beside all the other wide eyed children watching as the court jesters prepare to entertain the onlookers. There are a total of three jesters, all dressed in crazy, colorful costumes. 

“Ladies and gentlemen! Boys and girls! Prepare to be entertained!” The tallest of the three exclaims. He throws his arms out in an extravagant motion, capturing the crowd's attention immediately. The kids giggle as the bells on the jester's costume jingle when he moves. The two other jesters begin stretching out their legs and backs. The young boy had seen jesters before. He was always amazed seeing the jesters acrobatics. They are just about to start their performance when the young boy hears a shrill voice calling his name. 

“Jihun! Jihun, where are you?” A woman calls, moving quickly through the crowd until the boy, Jihun turns and catches her gaze. “Jihun, thank god you’re okay, come here,” Jihun’s mother calls out, holding out her hand to her son. Jihun grumbles, but takes his mother's hand for her to pull him away from the performance. His feet drag against the ground as he is led out of the crowd and back to his family. His father and older sister wait at a street corner near the restaurant they had just ate at. His mother looks down at the frowning boy. 

“You know not to go off on your own, especially during festivals,” his father scolds, crossing his arms in front of his chest. Jihun flinches at his harsh tone, looking down at the ground. 

“I’m sorry,” he says, his voice quiet, barely audible over the festival attendees all around them. And after the incident, the festival carried on. Jihun stayed at his mother’s side, his older sister taking his hand as they continued through the main market of Asirenia. 

It was getting late, the full moon was high in the sky. Jihun and his sister were beginning to tire. After competing in a three legged race with other children of the Kingdom, Jihun’s parents decided it was best if they take the kids home to rest for the night. 

“Momma, I have to use the bathroom,” Jihun says suddenly, his face scrunching up as he crosses his legs. His mother nods and points him in the direction of a nearby shop. 

“I’ll wait right here, go quick,” she says. Jihun nods in understanding and rushes into the shop, quickly finding the bathroom in the back. Of course, Jihun’s mother didn’t mean harm, but sending her son to the shop alone was a choice that would change the young boy’s life. The young boy finishes up and walks outside, where something catches his eye. Jihun, being young and naive, decided it wouldn’t hurt to take a look around the corner of the shop. He tiptoes to the corner of the building where the back alleyways hide. Cautiously, he peeks his head around the corner, eyes wide in curiosity. Nothing. 

Jihun can’t scream as the back of his shirt is grabbed, a hand clamped over his small mouth. His eyes widen, crippling fear spreading over his body like a vicious wildfire. He screams into the hand covering his mouth, but mixed in with the noises of the festival, no one would’ve noticed something was wrong. Tears blur Jihun’s vision as he’s dragged into the alley and into the darkness. His cries are muffled as he is forced further and further from freedom. 

Finally, he’s dropped. Then he goes silent, looking up at the person who had dragged him back. The moonlight casted an eerie glare on the man’s face. There were  
scars decorating his face and neck, an eyepatch was settled over his left eye. His clothes were dull and tattered, a long knife was sheathed at his side. 

“Hello there little boy,” the man smirks, his teeth look rotted. Jihun grimaces, flinching away from the unfamiliar man. The man laughs and bends over, getting closer to Jihun. “I think I’ll take you with me, you’ll make a good cabin boy, keep the other one company,” the man suggests. Jihun frantically shakes his head. 

“Pl-please don’t, I-I need to get back to my mom,” Jihun tries to convince the man to let him go, but the man only laughs, putting a hand on his stomach as his head falls back.

“Aw, that’s adorable. But no can do kiddo, you’re coming with me. And if you resist,” the man says, putting a hand on the handle of his blade. The blade suddenly is pointed at Jihun, the tip centimeters away from his adam’s apple. “I’ll kill you.”

Jihun quiets down again, the fear washing over him again. He doesn’t know what to do, he’s panicking, hands trembling, forehead beaded with sweat. He can’t move, he’s frozen in place. A chill rests over his skin as an ice cold hand wraps around his wrist, pulling him to his feet harshly. Jihun whimpers, keeping his head down.

The sound of cheerful music, the colored lanterns, and the dancing in the streets were perfect cover. The man slips through the crowds, his grip on Jihun’s wrist was so tight it could be cutting off his circulation. Jihun couldn’t even tell where they were going. The man pushes through the people, some turning to shouts curses at the unfamiliar man rushing through the crowd. Jihun doesn’t speak, he only follows, his feet occasionally tripping over loose pieces of stone as he’s forced along at a brisk pace. Finally they arrive at the docks. Jihun has visited the docks before with his family. He had been there to watch Navy ships return from a successful battle at sea. But that was the only time. 

“Almost there, little one,” the man says. The ground beneath them turns to string wood as they arrive on the docks. Because of the King’s Day Festival, there are many ships docked. Mostly merchant ships carrying a plethora of goods to sell to the Asirenian people. But the ship they were approaching couldn’t be a merchant ship. It looked old and worn, but still strong. A plain black flag was hung at the mast. A ramp was attached to the side of the ship for easy access aboard. The man’s grip tightens if it’s even possible as he pulls Jihun up the ramp and onto the ship. 

There are other men on the deck, some playing cards, drinking together, others just roaming. “Welcome back Captain,” a gruff voice says. Jihun jumps in surprise, turning his head to look up at the owner of the voice with wide eyes. “What’s this?” The man wonders, a smirk pulling at his lips. The young boy flinches away, watching the man’s yellow teeth appear as his grin widens.

“Found us another cabin boy, you can put him with the other one,” his captor said, simply handing Jihun off to the gruff voiced male. 

“Please, let me go,” Jihun begs, trying to pull his arm back. But the other man grabs him, pulling him close, eyes sparkling dangerously. 

“Maybe you can keep me company in my bed tonight,” the gruff voice suggests. Jihun shakes his head rapidly, trying to pull back. 

“Stop that nonsense, go take him below deck,” The Captain groans. The man sighs and then begins leading Jihun below the deck of the ship. The hall they walk down is a tight fit for the large man leading him. Some voices can be heard from the multiple rooms, but they walk to the end of the hall. There’s what looks like a cell on the right side. And there’s already somebody inside.

“This is your home now kid, don’t make too much noise or the Captain will throw you overboard,” the man snickers as he unlocks the man, tossing Jihun inside the cell before shutting and locking the door. Giving Jihun one more predatory look, he disappears down the hall, chuckling softly. Jihun takes a long shaky breath before remembering the other person in the cell with him. He turns quickly, staring into the eyes of another child. Jihun’s eyes begin to water, his botttom lip trembling. He doesn’t even know the other child, but now he’s crying desperately in his arms. The other boy is thin and covered in grime, but Jihun doesn’t care. The boy rubs circles into his back, calming him.

Once Jihun had finally calmed down, he seated himself in front of the other boy. “What’s your name? I’m Seungjun,” the other boy says. 

“Jihun, K-Kim Jihun,” Jihun responds, his voice slightly shaking. Seungjun beams, a smile appearing on his face. 

“Aw, I think I’ll call you Kimchi! When you say your name, it sounds like you’re saying Kimchi,” Seungjun giggles. Jihun cocks his head to the side in confusion.

“What’s Kimchi?” he wonders, never having heard the term. Seungjun’s jaw drops. 

“You’ve never had Kimchi before? Have you even lived?” he exclaimed. Jihun shrinks, a small smile on his face. Even in the situation they were in, Seungjun was cheering Jihun up. “Well, where I’m from, Kimchi is the best food ever, my Grandma made the best kimchi,” Seungjun explains. Jihun giggles at his exaggerated tone. They talks until Jihun is too tired to keep his eyes open. 

He learns a lot about Seungjun. He had just turned ten years old and he was from the Frayos Empire. Jihun has also learned that they were on a Pirate ship. That’s when Jihun realized he wouldn’t see his family ever again. He’d heard the stories of young children and even adults snatched off the streets by pirates. The kidnapees were then forced to do grueling work for the pirates. Seungjun told Jihun he would most likely do the same jobs as him, like cleaning up the kitchen after meals, tend to the crew and other requests from the Captain and Quartermasters. 

“You can sleep Kimchi, I’ll protect you,” Seungjun smiles, taking a tattered blanket and opening his arms for Jihun. The younger crawls towards him, resting his head in his lap. The thin blanket Seungjun drapes over his body doesn’t help much, but he appreciates the effort to help. 

“Thank you,” Jihun says tiredly, yawning as he closes his eyes, staying nestled close to the older boy as he somehow falls into a deep sleep.

-x-

Twelve Years Later

Jihun and Seungjun are nineteen and twenty one. By now they thought the Captain would’ve released them from their work on his ship. But there was no end to the work they had to tend to daily. So they had decided to runaway. The plan had been carefully put together while at sea, trapped in the cell they had lived in for twelve years. They were now docked at the island nation of Cadaulkor, a small Kingdom. It’s closest neighbors we’re Saeris and Thonada. 

It was late at night, the crew had gone out into the city to the bars to celebrate their successful raid of Saerin Navy ships off the coast. The two boys hadn’t expected everyone to leave, of course their were a few crew members milking around above deck, but no one who had the power to release them from their prison. 

“Jihun, we don’t have the keys, there’s no other way out,” Seungjun growled as he paced through the small cell, his fingers tangled in his greasy hair, Jihun laughed softly, smirking up at the older male. 

“Good thing I grabbed these off the Quartermaster earlier when he had me keep him company while he napped,” Jihun says, holding out a ring of keys. Both boys could recognize the keys that opened their cell without a second glance, they both knew one of those keys was on this ring. 

“Jihun you’re a genius,” Seungjun sighed in relief, squatting down to wrap his arms around the other male. Jihun smiles and stood up with Seungjun’s help. He then reaches through the bars of the cell, taking the key to the lock, pushing it in a turning. The key turns in the lock, opening the door. Jihun lets out a short sigh, a smile lighting up his face. 

“Don’t just stand there, let’s get the hell out of here,” Seungjun exclaims, taking the younger male’s hand and dragging him down the hall. He stops suddenly at a closed door and motions for Jihun to wait. Seungjun quickly slips inside the room, disappearing into the dark for a moment before returning with two blades, one dagger and one longer sword. “If anyone tries to stop us, stay behind me,” Seungjun says, handing Jihun the dagger. The younger frowns, but agrees, carefully following Seungjun up the stairs. The sound of muffled voices grows louder as they move up the stairs. Seungjun moves slow, the sword out in front of him as he stays alert. 

“Go,” Jihun whispers. Seungjun looks back at him in confusion before moving up onto the deck. There’s no one around. The coast in clear. The two make a break for the ramp, quickly rushing down before any of the crew members who remained on the ship could see them. The wind hits Jihun’s face as he runs at Seungjun’s side. They’re free. They race away from the ship and to the solid ground, but they don’t get far. 

A sharp pain in his calf, causes Jihun to stumble and fall to the ground, his arms and hands scraping against the rough wood of the dock. Seungjun stops immediately, eyes wide in shock. 

“Stop!” a voice yells. Jihun’s watering eyes find the source of the voice. It’s the Captain. He was walking towards them from further down the dock. That didn’t make sense? The majority of the crew had said they were going into town. “I knew your plan, I knew everything. Oh Jihun, the Quartermaster knew you had taken his key ring, I told him to get you alone so you had the chance. This is a lesson,” the Captain snarls, walking forward. Seungjun looks down at the arrow protruding from Jihun’s calf. On the deck of the ship is the crew's sharpshooter, an amazingly talented archer. 

“Don’t come any closer!” Seungjun yells, defensively sticking the sword out. Jihun clutches his bleeding calf, the arrow cutting through his muscle. “Don’t touch the arrow, I’ll get it out in a moment,” Seungjun says softly, looking down at Jihun. 

“You can’t get away, you belong to me, until I die,” the Captain yelled. He continues to advance slowly, teasingly.

“Stop right there!” Seungjun screams desperately. His hand is shaking, the sword trembling in his grip. But the Captain continues moving forward, his paces is slower than before, but his gaze is just as taunting.

“Seungjun, don’t be like this. I saved you,” the Captain growls, starting to get angry, hand on his sword sheathed at his side. Seungjun’s eyes narrow and he shakes his head. Suddenly movement out of the corner of his eye catches his attention. Walking along the dock closer to shore are soldiers. 

“Help! Pirates!” Seungjun screams. The soldiers turn quickly, rushing to the scene. Seungjun drops his sword and helps Jihun to his feet. 

“Get on my back,” he orders, his voice shaky. The soldiers get closer, swords drawn. Jihun throws himself over Seungjun’s back, wrapping his bloodstained hands around the older male’s neck. Seungjun’s arms hook around his thighs and he begins to run. He passes the soldiers and runs to solid ground. Jihun’s calf burns with every move, the arrow still sticking out of his flesh. He knows not to remove it so he won’t bleed out, but the arrow is jostled by the movement and sometimes hits Seungjun’s arm, causing it to dig deeper into Jihun’s flesh. 

“Stay with me, Kimchi,” Seungjun exclaims. The older male rushes away from the harbor, the city getting closer with every step. 

“W-where are you going?” Jihun asks, his voice quiet. Seungjun frowns. They hadn’t thought about where to go after escaping. They had no money so they couldn’t rent a place to stay, they also couldn’t afford medical care for Jihun. 

“I-I don’t know, but we’ll be okay, I’ll figure something out,” Seungjun says, trying to change the subject as quick as he could.

“I’ll protect you.”

-x-

Three Years Later

“Raise the sails, were heading out as soon as we can!” Jihun yells, leaning over the railing to scout the dock for incoming soldiers. As expected, a few Navy sailors on the dock were arming themselves to stop the notorious crew who had just raided a small village on the coast of the Valian Empire. 

“Youjin, Moonbin, man the canons, if they get too close, blow me down,” a short male commands. His hair is dark and in his face. His name is Jinwoo. Jihun turns to Jinwoo and smirks, he then rushes up to the helm. Seungjun is already steering the ship away from where they had docked and slowly out of the harbor. The wind was picking up as the anchor was pulled aboard the ship by Minhyuk and Inseong. 

“Get us out of here Seungjun,” Jihun says before limping down to the main deck, watching as the coast disappeared into the distance. He smiled to himself, at the life he had built for himself and Seungjun, and for the many others in their motley crew. 

“Captain! Where are we headed next,” Dongmin, the tall, lanky man from Thonada asks. Jihun sighs and thinks about their next destination. But nothing comes to mind. 

“Wherever the wind takes us,” he says simply before he takes in the scent of salt from the ocean. 

He’s free, finally free.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading friends! The next chapter is in the works, but I have no idea when I’ll post, but stay tuned for more updates in the future :)


	4. three. gold

Leaves crinkle underneath his feet as he races through the trees, further and further from safety. With wide eyes and aching legs, he continues on, not ready to allow whatever is chasing him to catch up. It feels like his lungs are on fire as he struggles for each breath. With his mind somewhat wandering, he comes in contact with a slightly broken tree branch, hanging down from the tree which it belongs. The branches slapping against his face draw blood from small cuts, but he doesn’t stop. He doesn’t even know why he’s running, all he knows is if he stops, they’ll catch him. 

As he runs, it feels as if time slows. Even if he’s running fast, the forest around him moves slower by the second. The moonlight peeking through the trees is the only light he has to guide him, but as the trees get denser, the moonlight fades. His eyes haven’t adjusted to the darkness, he pretty much running blind. 

That’s when his foot catches on a root. Red hot pain shoots up his ankle as he crumpled to the ground. He can hear the footsteps behind him, his pursuers closing in. He attempts to get to his feet, to get up despite his ankle protesting with every small movement. He turns to continue through the dense forest, limping as fast as he can. But it’s not enough. The footsteps get closer and closer until they slow to a stop right behind him. He doesn’t dare turn around to face whatever has followed him into the darkness. 

A dark figure falling from the tree causes him to jump back in surprise, stumbling and landing on his rear. A tall male with light hair looms over him, half of his face covered by tattered clothes. But that’s as good as the description gets. There’s a sharp pain in the back of his head, he can feel himself slowly losing consciousness…

“Youngjae!” A frantic voice yells. There are hands on his shoulders, shaking him violently. His eyes open in a second and he realizes what is happening. 

“Oh my god, you scared us, hyung,” another voice sighs. As Youngjae’s eyes focus, he sees Jaebum above him, straddling his thighs, hand gripping Youngjae’s silk nightshirt in his fists. Yugyeom and Kunpimook stand side by side, to Youngjae’s left. Mark and Jackson stand at the footrest, looking on with worried expressions. Everything is silent for a moment until Jinyoung rushes in with Seokjin not far behind. When Jinyoung’s wild eyes land on Youngjae, the King can see the medics shoulders slump. 

“Don’t ever do that again,” Jinyoung breathes out, obviously out of breath from running. Seokjin is also out of breath, his hand placed on his chest. He walks to Youngjae’s bedside and leans over, placing the back of his hand on Youngjae’s forehead. 

“His forehead is warm, Yugyeom, can you go to the infirmary to get a cool towel?” Seokjin asked. The youngest nods and takes Kunpimook’s hand. The two hurry out of the room and down the hall.

“Wh-what happened?” Youngjae wondered, finally finding his voice. Jaebum carefully sits down beside Youngjae, his fingers reluctantly untangling themselves from the others nightshirt.

“You were thrashing around a lot in your sleep, I thought you were having a seizure. When we turned you on your side, it didn’t help, then we realized you were having a nightmare,” Jinyoung explains as he catches his breath. Youngjae looks down at his trembling hands. He recalls the dream clearly, but he doesn’t say anything about it. 

“Just before you woke up, you screamed. You really scared us,” Jackson says, leaning into Mark’s side. A moment later, Kunpimook and Yugyeom return with a cold cloth. They hand it to Seokjin who moves to the bedside. The taller male gently places the cloth over Youngjae’s forehead, immediately cooling him down. He lets out a long breath. Jaebum shifts beside him and Youngjae’s eyes find the older male. The bruises and cuts from days earlier have begun to fade, leaving behind slight discoloration of his pale skin. 

“I didn’t mean to scare you, I’m sorry,” Youngjae says quietly, looking away in shame. Jaebum frowns and gently places his hand against Youngjae’s chin, moving the others face until he’s staring into the older male’s eyes. 

“It’s okay, you didn’t do anything wrong. Come on, how about we go into town. You can get some fresh air,” Jaebum suggests, his thumb gently caressing Youngjae’s pale cheek. The young King smiles and. nods his head in agreement.Youngjae slowly sits up, he immediately feels a dizziness set over him. Jaebum notices and catches Youngjae as he falls back onto the bed. 

“Fresh air can do us all some good, everyone get dressed and meet in the foyer when we’re ready,” Jinyoung says, looking down at Youngjae. The others file out of the room, Seokjin lingering for a moment to make sure Youngjae is okay before exiting the room and closing the door. Jaebum is the only one left. He gently presses the cloth to Youngjae’s forehead, letting the younger stay down for another moment. 

“Can you tell me about your nightmare?” Jaebum asks as he gently dabs the cool cloth around Youngjae’s face, cleaning the sweat beading across his skin. Youngjae hesitates for a moment.

“I-I was being chased, I never got a good look at who was chasing me,” Youngjae  
starts. Jaebum frowns and leaves Youngjae for a moment, walking towards their closet to pick out clothes for the both of them. 

“Is this the first time?” Jaebum wondered, looking back as he chooses a loose white blouse for Youngjae with a wide brown cloth belt to go around his middle. He picks out a pair of brown pants for Youngjae as well before picking out his own outfit, a black blouse and dark colored pants. 

“No, I have that dream at every night,” Youngjae reveals. Jaebum sets the two outfits down on the couch in their room as Youngjae sits up, one hand on the cloth on his forehead. 

“Why have you never told me?” Jaebum asks, walking back to the bedside. Youngjae looks away, frowning. He shrugs his shoulders awkwardly. Telling Jaebum was never a thought that crossed his mind.

“I’m not sure,” Youngjae says quietly, he places the damp cloth down on the bed as he stands up, walking towards the couch to pick up the clothes Jaebum had set out for him. “Grab me a pair of underwear,” Youngjae adds as he unbuttons his nightshirt, exposing his pale skin. Jaebum smiles as he flings a pair of clean underwear at Youngjae. “Hey!” the younger pouts, picking up the garment that had fallen on the floor after hitting Youngjae’s stomach. He takes a step towards Jaebum, hitting him in the arm. The older smirks and grabs Youngjae’s wrists, pushing him back. The younger yelps in surprise as he’s met by the bed. He falls back, landing on the bed. Jaebum falls with him, his arms keeping him from falling on top of Youngjae. Jaebum’s fingers wrap around Youngjae’s thin wrists, pinning them above his head. Youngjae’s nightshirt lay open, Jaebum’s eyes fighting to stay on Youngjae’s surprised face. 

“I love you,” Jaebum says simply, leaning down to press a few gentle kisses on Youngjae’s collarbones. The younger giggles and squirms underneath the older male. Jaebum smiles against Youngjae’s skin. His eyes then find the uneven skin on Youngjae’s throat, a scar caused by Seung-Li. He releases Youngjae’s wrists and his hands move to trace the scars on Youngjae’s skin, each with its own story. The scars on Youngjae’s shoulders and collarbones, caused by the claws of a dragon. The slash across his chest starting from his left shoulder caused by Seung-ali’s blade. Youngjae’s hands moved down to shyly lush Jaebum’s hands away. 

“J-Jaebum, we have to get dressed, the others will wonder if we’re okay,” Youngjae says, cheeks flushing pink. Jaebum only smiles, leaning down to press a kiss to Youngjae’s stomach. It isn’t sexual, it’s just Jaebum showing his love and affection for the younger. He treats the younger with care, taking his hand as he pull Youngjae from the bed and into his arms. Youngjae melts into his embrace, but his body is stiff. He’s going between wanting to quickly change so they can leave the Palace or stay in Jaebum’s arms. “Let's get dressed now,” Jaebum says quietly, smoothing Youngjae’s dirty blonde hair back. Youngjae responds with a smile, lingering in Jaebum’s arms for another moment before pulling away so he can change into a clean pair of clothes.

-x-

“Well it took you two long enough,” Jackson says impatiently, attempting to cross his arms. His right shoulder was still in a sling, resting after being dislocated. Jaebum rolls his eyes, one arms wrapped around Youngjae’s slender waist. 

“I’ll interrogate you later,” Jinyoung says, eyeing Jaebum with slight suspicion. “But let’s head out, we could all use some time outdoors,” the medic adds before walking towards the doors, pushing them open. The sun shines in, the village laid out before the Palace. Youngjae beams at the sight. It reminds him of when his father would take him out into town as a sort of gift after the late King had been busy for a long time. Youngjae had always loved those times with his father. Yugyeom stretches his arms up to the sky, a smile on his face as he makes his way outside.

“Let’s go!” Kunpimook says excitedly, a wide smile on his face. Youngjae giggles and breaks away from Jaebum gentle hold to rush down the steps. He doesn’t recall the last time he had gone out to enjoy the multiple sights and sounds of the outdoors. The three youngest lead the group down the road into the town. The townspeople that recognize them greet them respectfully, bowing as they approach. Youngjae responds back with a bow, respecting his subjects as much as they respect him. Jaebum looks on with adoration. Mark punches him in the shoulder, getting his attention.

“What?” Jaebum protests, rubbing his shoulder with a scowl. Mark laughs softly as pats the younger on the back. 

“He really missed you,” Mark says. Jaebum raises an eyebrow.

“He’s told me many times,” Jaebum replies, his eyes saying ‘tell me something I don’t know’. Mark shakes his head.

“He really wasn’t the same when you were gone. We would tell him to rest, or go to bed. And in the morning we would find him asleep at his desk,” Mark explains, his voice quiet to keep the conversation between the two of them. Jaebum frowns, looking forward at Youngjae who was busy chatting with a mother and her two children. “If you were there to tell him to sleep, he would’ve listened,” Mark adds. 

“He’s too hard on himself, I force him to go to bed, I don’t let him stay up,” Jaebum says, sounding more like his mother than one of his boyfriends. Mark snorts.

“Okay mother,” he teases. Jaebum pushes the older away in false anger, earning a yell from Mark. “That’s no way to treat your hyung, brat,” Mark scoffs, stumbling to the side. Jaebum rolls his eyes, a smile pulling at the corners of his mouth. Ahead, Youngjae bows at the hips as the mother urges her children along after speaking with the King. Jaebum reaches Youngjae’s side and takes his hand. 

“How about we go grab something to eat, how does that sound,” Jaebum suggests, speaking to the entire group. 

“I’m starving,” Youngjae says with a smile. The others quickly agree, none of them had time to eat before leaving. Yugyeom and Kunpimook continue leading the group, scoping out the best place to eat. Mark, Jinyoung and Jackson walk a few paces behind the youngest. That leaves Jaebum and Youngjae to bring up the rear. The young King’s eyes catch every moment, from birds flying in the sky to a child kicking a ball across the street. Suddenly he spots something that he can’t help but stare at. 

“Hold on, I’ll be right back,” Youngjae says, giving Jaebum no time to say anything. He races through the people walking through the streets to a certain vendor. It was a necklace that had caught his eye. The vendor looks at him and raises an eyebrow. 

“Pure gold, embellished with sapphires. A combination for our very own King,” the vendor says attempting to sell the necklace to Youngjae. The King was definitely interested. The gold and sapphire combination wasn’t new to him. He had worn a golden collar decorated with sapphires for a year. The collar was a reminder of his enslavement, something he was proud to have survived.

“How much?” Youngjae wonders, pulling out a pouch of coins he had remembered to bring with him. The vendor scrunches up his nose as he thinks.

“Fifty gold pieces,” he decided. For jewelry, fifty gold pieces was fairly expensive. But it was worth it. Youngjae fishes the coins out of his purse, handing them to the vendor who in return, hands the King the gold necklace. 

“Thank you,” Youngjae smiles, bowing his head slightly as he moves away from the vendor. 

But he doesn’t get far. 

A hand grabs his arm, pulling him through the morning crowd. “Hey!” Youngjae yelps in surprise, trying to pry the strong fingers off of his arm. The man who holds him is slightly shorter than him, he’s dressed in dark colors. His clothing is worn and tattered. Youngjae fights against the man until he’s pushed into an alley. The man slams him against the wall, hand wrapped around his throat. Youngjae grits his teeth and kicks his leg out, hitting the man in the gut. Youngjae momentarily escapes, pushing past the man. He is only stopped again by someone jumping in his path, causing him to skid to a stop. 

Those eyes. 

Those dark, piercing eyes.

He’s seen them before. 

But where?

“Let me pass,” Youngjae growls, standing tall. The man in front of him lowers the cloth from over his nose and mouth. His face is small compared to the length of his body. His lips are pulled into a tight line.

“Jihun, not now,” the man behind Youngjae hisses. Youngjae can hear it now, his name being yelled from the street. The tall male in front of him, Jihun, scowls, pulling the cloth back over his nose and mouth. The man behind Youngjae had already scaled the building behind them. As Jihun passes Youngjae grabs his wrist in a bruising grip. The tall man looks down in surprise. Youngjae turns to face him.

“I’ve seen you before,” the King says. Jihun cocks his head to the side, his eyes still blank. “Who are you?” he wonders. The taller male stays quiet. The shouts of Youngjae’s name get closer by the second. 

“You’ll see,” Jihun answers before pulling his wrist away from Youngjae before running to the back of the alley, his accomplice helping him up. And then they disappear on the rooftops. Not even a second later, Jackson skids to a stop outside the alley before rushing in. He stops right in front of Youngjae, one hand on his cheek, his eyes scanning for anything out of the ordinary. The rest of the group follows, all crowding around Youngjae, questions fly from their mouths. But Youngjae doesn’t hear anything.

He can only remember Jihun. He seems so familiar. Where has Youngjae seen him before? 

Then it clicks.

His nightmare.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize, again. This chapter really took me some time. I was on a roll writing, and then I just couldn’t think of anything. I didn’t want to release what I had because I wanted to give you guys the best!
> 
> I’ll do my best to update every two weeks if I can. 
> 
> Also Christmas break is approaching quickl! I hope I can update more!!! Stay tuned for more!!
> 
> \- alexa :)


	5. four. weak

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! Just a quick warning before the chapter begins, this was written really quickly and it’s probably awful. It’s a filler chapter with a bit of background but I didn’t know how to write it. So if it seems rushed and all over the place, I apologize.

When Jinwoo and Jihun return to the ship hidden in the little known lagoon, Seungjun is on deck waiting. Jinwoo pulls Jihun up onto the ship, the two are dripping sweat, their clothes sticking to their slender frames. As Jihun walks forward, Seungjun notices Jihun favoring his right leg. He’s limping. “I’m fine,” Jihun says, noticing Seungjun staring.

“You’re over exerting yourself again. If you don’t rest you’re going to have to start using a cane again,” Seungjun states, his hand grabbing onto Jihun’s sleeve. Jihun looks down and frowns as the memory comes back to him. Seungjun relives the memory as well, the entire story clear as day.

Flashback

Three days of wandering through an unfamiliar kingdom, searching for anyone willing to offer free medical service. Seungjun was beginning to get frustrated. During the day he left Jihun in an abandoned shed and went out into the village to scavenge for food and anything that could pass as bandages. The arrow that had been shot into Jihun’s calf remained in his leg. Seungjun was too afraid to remove it knowing it could make the wound even worse. 

The third day turned into night. Seungjun made his way through the village and to the shed Jihun was sheltered in. The sound of soft voices conversing made Seungjun go into defensive mode, his hand moving to unsheath the dagger hidden in his pants. Questions raced through his mind. Was Jihun okay? Had someone found him and hurt him?

Cautiously, Seungjun peeks around the corner of structure that was about 20 yards from the shed. He spots two figures, one being Jihun. One unfamiliar male. Seungjun wastes no time rushing to Jihun, tackling the unknown man to the ground, holding the blade at his neck.

“Seungjun stop!” Jihun yelps. Seungjun looks down at the man underneath him. His dark hair was greasy and wild, sticking up in some places. His wide eyes were filled with fear. “Seungjun, it’s okay. He was telling me he knew someone who could help,” Jihun says, his voice soft and calming. That familiar voice brought Seungjun back from his outburst. He looks at the man underneath him again. He noticed the manacles around his wrists and the state of his clothing. He must be a slave.

“M-my Master’s son, he’s training to become a doctor. He would be willing to help,” the male says, his voice is hoarse and cracks every few seconds. Seungjun slowly gets off of the man, helping him sit up. “My name is Jinwoo,” he introduces himself, bowing his head slightly. Jihun looks at Seungjun with sharp eyes.

“Seungjun, I apologize for jumping to conclusions,” Seungjun responds. There’s a moment of awkward silence before Seungjun speaks again. “Can you take us to your friend?” Seungjun asked, moving closer to Jihun to allow the younger to climb up onto his back. Jinwoo nods and gets to his feet, brushing dirt off of his old tattered pants. Jinwoo waves Seungjun over, the chains connecting the heavy steel manacles clinking as his hand moves. Seungjun makes sure Jihun is comfortable before moving to follow Jinwoo. 

The sun has set by the time they reach Jinwoo’s Master’s house. The house is grand and a sight to behold. Compared to anything Seungjun had lived in, it was heaven. “We can go around to the slaves quarters in the back, I’ll go inside to retrieve my friend,” Jinwoo explains as he looks back to make sure Seungjun is following. The side of the house is shrouded in darkness, the three under the cover of night. In the backyard is a small structure made of old, misshapen wood. 

Jinwoo waves Seungjun inside the small structure. It’s lit with torches hung on the walls. Inside are young women, a few children and men. Jinwoo walks over to a corner, a bed of hay set out. “You can set him down here, I’ll be right back,” Jinwoo days before quickly disappearing. The other slaves watch their every move. Seungjun slowly lowers Jihun to the ground, being careful of the arrow in his calf. 

“Are you okay?” Seungjun asks when he hears Jihun inhale sharply. He moves away after the other male is situated and stares into his worried eyes. 

“I’m fine,” Jihun says. He lay on his stomach so he wouldn’t disturb the arrow embedded in his calf. A few minutes of awkward silence later, footsteps can be heard approaching the structure. Seungjun watches as Jinwoo approaches. He’s followed by another male. This man was dressed in silk pajamas, his hair perfectly brushed and styled. There was not a speck of dirt on him. 

“Seungjun, Jihun, this is Myungjun,” Jinwoo says, introducing the elegantly dressed male beside him. Myungjun’s smile is warm and welcoming. In his hand is a bag. 

“No need to worry, I’ll take good care of him,” Myungjun says, noticing the hesitance in Seungjun’s eyes. Slowly and cautiously, Seungjun moves away from Jihun. Myungjun does the same, moving slowly as if Seungjun is a wild animal that dash away in an instant. He sets his bag down and opens it up. 

“He doesn’t do well under pressure, come out with me,” Jinwoo says, his eyes glued to Myungjun’s hands. Seungjun tears his attention away from the noble boy and gets up to follow Jinwoo. Before he leaves, Jihun gives him a quick smile to reassure the older male. 

Jihun would be okay, he was surprisingly clean of infections and the wound would eventually heal. But because the arrow had been embedded in the bone too long, Jihun wouldn’t be able to walk on his own for a while. Jinwoo has retrieved a sturdy tree branch for him to use as a cane until he could walk on his own.

End of Flashback

“What the hell were you even doing?” Seungjun asks as the two male their way down to their shared room. Jihun sighed as he opens the old door. 

“We found him, had to be creative in order to get him alone,” Jihun says simply. Seungjun sits down on the end of the bed. It was a simple job. In order for their old Captain to stop tracking them across the ocean, they had to bring him the thing he desired most. It wasn’t gold, jewels. It was the young King of Saeris. Jihun has agreed to the job so they could escape the hold of the man who had ruined their lives. 

“Where is he now?” Seungjun asked, scooting over to allow Jihun to sit down next to him. 

“Still in the Kingdom, we had bad timing. He had everyone with him,” Jihun begins, “during the Summer Festival, that’s when we have to act.” Seungjun nods. He pulls Jihun close, placing a kiss to the top of the shorter male’s head. 

-x-

 

As soon as they had returned to the palace, Mark had rushed Youngjae up to his room, leaving Jaebum in the dust.There, he was chosen as Jinyoung’s victim to help him bring new medical supplies to the infirmary. The two walked in silence, both shaken by the most recent attack on Youngjae. “Where is he?” Jinyoung asks as he leads Jaebum down the hall of the Palace.

“In our room, he said he needed some time to be alone,” Jaebum says, a frown on his face. Jinyoung looks over pointedly. Jaebum meets his gaze, raising an eyebrow in confusion. “It’s my job to keep him safe, and he was almost pulled out of my hands,” Jaebum growled. Jinyoung stifles a laugh causing Jaebum to glare over at him. 

“Stop acting like an overprotective mother, he’s not fragile,” Jinyoung finally explains. For a few strides, they walk in silence. Jinyoung then leans over, “your bed is big enough for seven right?” Jaebum manages a smile. 

“Yes, it is,” he says. There were nights when everyone would pile into one bed, surrounded by each other’s warmth and love. Those nights were some of Jaebum’s favorites.

“Until then give him some space, you don’t need to be at his side every second. He’s a King, Jaebum,” Jinyoung says, stopping outside the infirmary. Jaebum sighs, looking away. He nods his head slowly and looks back up. “The seven of us watch over each other. We keep each other safe,” he adds, hugging Jaebum quickly before disappearing into the infirmary. Jaebum stands alone in the hallway before walking in behind Jinyoung to help him put away the medical supplies he had been carrying. 

-x-

A gentle knock pulls Youngjae from his thoughts. He turns towards the door and waits a moment before calling out, “come in.” The door handle turns slowly and the door creaks open. Jaebum cautiously enters the room, his head low. Youngjae cocks his head to the side, a frown forming on his face. “What’s wrong?” he asked, his voice soft. Jaebum moves further into the room until he’s sitting on the side of the bed. 

“Are you okay?” Jaebum asks, his eyes wide. Youngjae is surprised by the raw emotion pooling in Jaebum’s eyes. He can only manage a nod. 

“I’m just fine. I can handle myself sometimes, you know?” Youngjae says, crawling across the bed until he’s on his knees behind Jaebum. His arms draped over Jaebum’s shoulders. The older male’s shoulders tense underneath Youngjae’s arms. Neither of them speak for a moment, enjoying each other. Slowly, Jaebum relaxes, leaning back against Youngjae’s chest. 

“Oh! I just remembered why I wandered off,” Youngjae says, a smile quickly replacing the frown. He hops off of the bed and walks over to the dresser. Jaebum’s eyes follow Youngjae and his cheeks turn red. Youngjae is only wearing a white button up and black boxer underwear. The young King sifts through the mess of items strewn across the top of the dresser until he finds what he’s looking for. He picks up the necklace by the chain and turns around. Jaebum looks away in embarrassment causing Youngjae to realize why. He looks down at his bare legs and laughs softly. 

“Oops,” he said sheepishly before closing the distance between himself and Jaebum. He takes Jaebum’s wrist and opens his hand. He then gently places the necklace into his palm. “I got this for you, I thought you would like it,” Youngjae says softly, his eyes lighting up. Jaebum slowly looks up, his eyes lingering on the necklace before reaching Youngjae’s gaze. 

“It’s beautiful, thank you,” he says. Youngjae’s smile grows wider causing Jaebum’s heart to melt. Jaebum takes the necklace into both hands, the pendant is gold encrusted with beautiful sapphires. “Can you help me put it on?” Jaebum asks. Without speaking, Youngjae takes the necklace. He moves onto the bed behind Jaebum and places the necklace around his neck. He quickly clasps the necklace behind Jaebum’s neck and releases the gold chain. Jaebum shivers at the cool metal around his neck.

“Now come lay with me,” Youngjae giggles, pulling Jaebum back onto the bed. The older male smiles as he fights to get his arms around Youngjae’s waist. The younger squirms against him but soon stills. Jaebum buries his face into Youngjae’s neck, gently kissing his warm skin. Youngjae sighs contently, and at that point nothing else mattered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, I hope that chapter wasn’t too poorly written :/
> 
> Hope you all had a great christmas! 
> 
> -Alexa :)


	6. five. divide

The first day of the seventh month marked the start of a week long festival celebrated in the Kingdom of Saeris. People would journey from their homelands to witness to beautiful spectacle of the Summer Festival. The entire Kingdom decorated the streets with colorful lanterns and flags to show their excitement for the annual celebration. 

In the Palace, Youngjae (with the help of Seokjin) coordinated the decorating of the Royal courtyard. The outside of the Palace was soon decorated with symbols of summer. It was a welcoming sight to any visitors arriving for the celebration. But with the excitement of the festival, came stress. Besides decorating, Youngjae was juggling security, entertainment and other arrangements. The others demanded to share the responsibility, and after multiple discussions, Youngjae finally gave in.

“Mark, Jinyoung, I need you two in the farming district. I need a report on how the cultivation of the land is going and if food shipments will arrive on time . Yugyeom and Jackson, the King of Thonada is willing to help us out. If you both could be my ambassadors,” Youngjae explains. The seven sit together in a room mostly used by the Army generals to discuss battle plans with the King before they can be carried out. 

“Why about Jaebum and I?” Kunpimook asks, leaning over the table. 

“You two are staying here in the city, the Summer Festival starts soon. So I’ll need help with preparing the Palace and planning the festivities,” Youngjae explains. Kunpimook nods, leaning back into his chair. Youngjae gazed around the table, looking for any more questions. “No questions? Okay, return as soon as you can so we can enjoy the festival together,” Youngjae concludes. Mark stands, motioning for Jinyoung to follow. 

“Stay on task kids, no funny business while we’re gone,” Mark jokes. Jinyoung gently hits him in the back of the head. Yugyeom and Jackson stand as well, ready to head out to begin their assignment. 

“Come send us off!” Yugyeom suggests, earning a wide smile from Kunpimook. Youngjae takes Jaebum’s hand and pulls him out of the room, following Kunpimook and Yugyeom. Like young children, they race through the halls. The laughter can be heard throughout the palace. Finally they arrive to the door opening to the back courtyard of the Palace. Yugyeom pushes the doors open to reveal the outdoors. Sprinkled across the bright green lawn rest seven beautiful dragons. Youngjae can’t help but smile when he lays his eyes on Sage. 

Due to previous engagements, Youngjae or any of the others hadn’t had much time to see their faithful friends. Sage got to her feet and let out an excited roar. Yugyeom rushes towards Youngjae, his arms wrapping around the older male’s waist. 

“Bye hyung,” the youngest says. Youngjae responds with a kiss on the dark haired males head. 

“I don’t know whether to have Jackson keep an eye on you or you keep an eye on him,” Youngjae sighs defeatedly. Kunpimook snorts, his white hair that had grown fairly long fell into his eyes. “Just stay out of trouble, you’re ambassadors. You represent Saeris,” Youngjae says, his tone serious. 

“Yes hyung,” Yugyeom nods before quickly pulling the older into one more bone crushing hug. Only a second later, he’s off to Fenrir, the dragon wagging his large tail like a dog. 

“I worry about him,” Kunpimook admits, watching the younger bounding towards Jackson. Youngjae looks over with a smile. 

“We all do,” he adds, earning an approving laugh from Kunpimook. Mark and Jinyoung are situated with their dragons, Seokjin exiting the palace with bundles of snacks for the departing Dragon Riders. The short missions wouldn’t take more than a day, but Dragon Riders get hungry too. Jinyoung thanks Seokjin, taking his and Mark’s bundles before climbing atop Aphopets back. The serpent like dragon tales off, elegantly spreading his wings. Youngjae waves as Mark and Snowdrop join the other dragons in the air. 

The goodbye is short and sweet as the two teams part ways, one heading west and one heading south. That leaves Jaebum, Kunpimook and Youngjae. “Let’s head inside to figure out what’s already done,” Youngjae suggests, leading the group back inside. Seokjin waits for them in the hall, a smile on his face.

“The townspeople have begun to decorate the streets, we need to begin working on the square. We should also organize food and other vendors to set up along the streets,” Seokjin suggests. Youngjae nods and suddenly a smile lights up his face. 

“What?” Jaebum asks, looking over at Youngjae. 

“We have old tapestries to hang outside. If I remember correctly, they haven’t been used in years,” Youngjae explains excitedly. Kunpimook cocks his head to the side. “The old tapestries we have stored away were sewn during the end of the Dark Ages,” he adds. 

The Dark Ages, a time of war between Saeris and all the surrounding Kingdoms. As children, all people were told harrowing stories of their Kingdoms heroes. But all Kingdoms knew, to start another Dark Age would kill them all. 

“I remember those! I’ll go get them out, we can hang them outside together,” Seokjin smiles, rushing away to find the ancient tapestries. Youngjae jumped happily before turning to Kunpimook and Jaebum. 

“Lets get going, there’s a lot to do,” Youngjae says, waving the two others towards him. 

-x-

It was a short flight to Thonada from Saeris, just about thirty minutes by Dragon. From a distance, Yugyeom noticed what looked like dark smoke curling up from the island nation. “What the hell?” Jackson yelled against the wind as they drew closer. The harbor, where the boats came and went was completely destroyed. It looked like an old fire, but smoke still rose from the burnt wood. A few soldiers directed Yugyeom and Jackson to an open area to land. 

“We’re here as ambassadors of King Youngjae of Saeris,” Yugyeom explains to the soldiers when they inquire about their arrival to Thonada. 

“The King is willing to speak with you about sending over food shipments for myour people,” one soldier says. Yugyeom sighed in relief. 

“We really appreciate it, when will we be able to speak with him?” Jackson wonders. 

“He has other business to attend to at the moment, but very soon he will be able to see you,” one of the soldiers answers. Yugyeom thanks them and the two ambassadors head to the destroyed harbor. As they get closer, Yugyeom spots sailors working to remove large chunks of charred wood that had fallen into the water. As he looks harder, he spots a familiar face. 

“Taehyung-ah!” Jackson yells, having seen the same thing as Yugyeom. A head turns, searching for the source of the voice that had called his name. Moments later, his eyes light up and he quickly abandons his work to rush up to Yugyeom and Jackson. 

“Tae! What the hell are you- Yugyeom? Jackson hyung?” another voice says. It’s Jungkook. Taehyung has already reached the two coming down to the harbor. 

“Hey! How are you?” Jackson asks, ruffling Taehyungs longer brown hair. He laughs softly and swats Jackson’s hand away. 

“A lot better, both of us,” Taehyung smiles as Jungkook stops at his side. The two look tan and definitely more healthy than the first time they had met. Jungkook’s shirt was off from working in the sun, his body looked well built and taken care off. 

“That’s good to hear. Do you mind us asking what happened here?” Yugyeom wondered, looking past the two sailors at the harbor. Taehyung scratched his head. 

“Pirates. About a week ago, they were here. When they left they burned the harbor down, took down a few fishing boats as well,” Jungkook sneers, looking back at the harbor. Yugyeom tenses. Jackson notices and takes the youngest hands. 

“Do you happen to know any names?” Jackson asks, watching as Yugyeom’s eyes divert to the ground, his eyebrows furrowing. 

“Kim Jihun and Park Jinwoo, Captains of the ASTRO,” Jungkook answers, his fists clenching at his sides. Both names were unfamiliar, but it was something. A shout draws Jackson’s attention away from Taehyung and Jungkook and back towards the village. One of the soldiers is waving them over. Jackson sighs and squeezes Yugyeom’s hand. 

“We have to go now, but if we could meet up again before we leave that would be great!” Jackson says. Taehyung smiles widely.

“We’ll meet you at Yoongi’s tavern in town, I’m confident you’ll be able to find it,” Taehyung says. Jungkook takes the other males hand and waves to Jackson.

“We’ll see you two later,” Jungkook says before the four part ways. 

“Come on Yugyeom,” Jackson says quietly, gently tugging on Yugyeom’s hand to urge him to follow. 

-x-

“We can land there, the fields are close by,” Mark yells out to Jinyoung as they soar above Saeris’s farming district. Miles of fields damaged by fire. The two find an open space for the dragons to land before heading off to the farms. Jinyoung gazed up, squinting from the bright sun in his eyes. The heat isn’t unbearable, it’s nice. The soft breeze rustling through the leaves of the sparsely planted trees reminds Jinyoung of his childhood. 

As a child born into poverty, he spent most time outside of the small home he had. Outside was the only place he could go to escape his parents constant fights inside. He would sit in the meadow, the grass swaying in the breeze. He would pick daisies for his mother to give her when he finally went inside. A smile pulled at his lips as he remembers his mother. But he doesn’t let himself stay in the memory too long. 

“Where should we go first?” Mark asks as they arrive to the main park of the village made up of a few markets and a gathering center. 

“Youngjae told us a representative would meet us in the gathering center,” Jinyoung recalls. Mark nods and the two set off to the small building. Sure enough, there is an older man waiting inside. 

“Ah! You two must Youngjae’s friends, it’s nice to meet you, my name is Sungwoo,” the man says. His skin is tanned from working on the farm. Jinyoung and Mark bow respectfully.

“I’m Jinyoung, this is Mark. We’re here to discuss the fields. Is everything looking better?” Jinyoung asks. Sungwoo smiles brightly. 

“Everything is in the final stages of repair. We’ve begun to harvest our crops for the Summer Festival, but we may not have enough,” Sungwoo frowns. 

“Don’t worry, we’re getting help from Thonada as well, do what you can,” Mark says. 

After the quick meeting with the farming towns representative, Mark and Jinyoung were headed back to where they had left Snowdrop and Apophet. They could spot Snowdrop from miles away in the countryside. Mark nudged Jinyoung gently, knocking him off balance slightly. 

“What?” Jinyoung huffed, looking at Mark accusingly. Mark snorted, looking down.

“You look nostalgic,” Mark points out. Jinyoung nods slightly, letting out a soft sigh. 

“I guess. This place just reminds me of home, the long grass and the flowers,” Jinyoung says, reaching down to brush his fingers against the long blades of sturdy grass growing from the dirt. Mark furrows his eyebrows. 

“You never really told us about what your life was like before we all met,” Mark says, looking over at Jinyoung. “But I understand if you don’t want to talk about it,” he adds quickly after seeing Jinyoung tense. Jinyoung sighs.

“Maybe another time,” he says quietly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i’m so sorry. i’ve gotten so behind on writing. i’ve had ideas, but no motivation to write. this chapter definitely sucks but it’s really just a filler. next chapter is the summer festival so it might get a little crazy. so be ready!! i hope i’ll be able to update when i want to! 
> 
> thank you for reading!
> 
> \- alexa :)


	7. six. together

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IM PROUD OF MYSELF THIS IS 3220 WORDS

-one year ago-

“You can’t keep me from going,” Youngjae screams. Tears well up in his eyes as the guards grab his arms pulling him backwards. Seung-Li stares down at him, eyes narrowing. 

“Seung-Li, just let him go,” Youngjae’s mother pleads, walking up behind the King, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. Seung-Li shrugs it off, stepping closer to Youngjae. 

“He’ll only try to get away and you know it,” Seung-Li snarls, looking back at his queen with cold eyes. Youngjae’s mother flinches, knowing that Seung-Li is right. Youngjae bites the inside of his cheek to stop himself from screaming. “Take him away, I don’t want to see his face,” Seung-Li sighs, waving the guards off. He turns back to walk down the hall in the opposite direction and stops.

“And make sure you replace the locking system on the door, I don’t want him getting out again,” the King threatens, eyeing the guards angrily. Youngjae can feel the guards tense before beginning to drag Youngjae away. That’s when he screams, kicking and crying out. But he’s only dragged further and further until he’s thrown back into the dark cell he’d called home for five months. 

-x-

The sun had set lower than the high Thonadian mountains. Yugyeom and Jackson had been dismissed from the Palace after a successful negotiation with the King. A shipment of produce would set sail the next morning from a different harbor closer to Thonada’s farming district. Jackson led Yugyeom through the village watching as the nightlife emerged from the shadows. The children were all indoors, being tucked into bed for the night while young adults came out of their homes. 

Yoongi’s tavern, that’s where they were told to go. “So we didn’t get a name?” Yugyeom asks. Jackson shakes his head. 

“Jungkook said we’d be able to find it easily,” Jackson responds, his eyes scanning the different shops lining the road. Then he spots it. The only tavern. People are entering and exiting through the open doors. Most of the noise on the street is most likely coming from the tavern. “Jinyoung would kill me if I let you get drunk. If you love me, don’t get drunk,” Jackson says, turning to Yugyeom and pointing a finger at him. Yugyeom raises his hands in defense.

“I won’t,” he scoffs. Jackson then leads the way into the tavern. The interior has a rustic look but it’s booming with modern music and dancing. Jackson makes sure Yugyeom stays with him by intertwining their fingers as they make their way through the crowd. Jackson decides to check the bar first. And sure enough he spots Yoongi leaning against the counter cleaning out a glass. 

“Yoongi-ah!” Jackson yells over the noise as he and Yugyeom make their way to the bar. With a loud grunt a drunk man, not looking that much older crashes into Yugyeom from the side. 

“Hey watch it,” the man slurs, flipping Yugyeom off before being swallowed up by the moving crowd. Yugyeom rubs his shoulder and scowls before turning back to Yoongi. 

“Hey kids, welcome to my tavern,” Yoongi smiles, setting the glass down and spreading his arms. Jackson smiles, letting go of Yugyeom’s hand to take a seat at the bar. 

“So this is what you do when you’re not killing people for money?” Yugyeom jokes. Yoongi snorts and leans forward onto the bar.

“Yep, family owned business for three generations,” the dark haired male says. “The tavern, not the killing people part,” he adds. Yugyeom laughs softly and looks around. 

“Is Jimin around?” he wonders, not able to spot Yoongi’s partner. 

“He’s late. He should be here soon, he works at the bar with me,” Yoongi explains, Yugyeom catches a worried look from Yoongi as he talks about Jimin being late. But the younger brushes it off. “How was the King? Kind of a headass isn’t he?” the bartender wonders. Jackson sighs, scratching his head. 

“He seemed clueless,” he admits. Yugyeom recalls the negotiation with the King. He remembers how he acted, like he didn’t know what was happening. Unlike Youngjae (who was probably a little younger than the Thonadian King), he didn’t seem informed on other Kingdom’s problems.

“We just said harvest was bad and we needed help, just to keep it simple,” Yugyeom jumps in. Yoongi doubles over in laughter. 

“That’s hilarious. He’s so dumb,” Yoongi erupts into laughter, moving away to pour himself a drink, quickly sucking it down. “He didn’t even know what to do when the goddamn pirates burned the harbor. Also, do you two want a drink, on the house,” he wonders as he pours himself his second drink that the two had seen.

“Nothing too strong, I don’t want to fall off my dragon,” Jackson sighs. The music blares in the background as people dance and drink. Yoongi searches through his stock, pulling out a bottle, opening it before pouring Jackson a glass. He places the glass in front of Jackson before turning to Yugyeom.

“How about you?” he asks. Yugyeom hums.

“Just a beer,” he decides. Yoongi gives him a thumbs up and turns to retrieve and bottle for Yugyeom. Suddenly a new voice joins the conversation. 

“Hey babe, sorry I’m late. Got a little caught up on my way- hey Jackson! Yugyeom! What brings you to Thonada?” Jimin smiles as he walks behind the counter, tying an apron around his waist. Yugyeom notices Yoongi’s worries look once again and turns to look at Jimin. Yugyeom’s observant eyes pick up a darkening bruise creeping up from under his white shirt. 

“We’re here as ambassadors, asking for some help before the Summer Festival,” Jackson explains. Jimin hums and nods his head. 

“I went to one of those when I was younger, my dad took me,” Jimin smiles. Yoongi sets down a bottle, popping the cap off for Yugyeom who thanks him quietly. Yoongi goes back to his own drink, downing his second glass. Jimin rolls his eyes before placing his hands on the bar. 

“Tae and Jungkook are coming by soon, they should be finished at the harbor soon,” Yoongi announces, gazing outside as the sunlight fades. Yugyeom watches as a group of burly men enter, all wearing dark, old looking clothes. He doesn’t let it bother him and turns back towards the bar. 

“Good, they’re too busy. Probably getting dehydrated out there in the sun all day,” Jimin sighs as turns to tend to another customer who had made their way to the bar. Yugyeom’s eyes follow Jimin as he moves towards the woman standing at the bar asking for a drink. Jimin’s eyes were all over the place, looking at the woman, back at the bar and into the crowd. He was looking for something. Jackson and Yoongi hadn’t noticed and were engrossed in a conversation. 

Yugyeom watches as Jimin turns hesitantly towards the bar, grabbing a glass and filling it with alcohol. The smell of the drinks are strong and intoxicating. The woman tips Jimin and takes her drink before heading back to the dance floor. Jimin tucks the money into his apron. He notices Yugyeom’s eyes on him as he moves back towards the group. 

“What’s wrong?” Jimin wonders, cocking his head to the side. Yugyeom notices how his breath shakes in between the words he speaks. 

“You look nervous, why?” Yugyeom wonders, the question is only one of curiosity. Jimin takes a quick glance at Yoongi before leaning over the bar, closer to Yugyeom. His white shirt bunches up, showing the bruise more clearly on his chest. 

“Those guys who walked in a minute ago, I know you saw them too. They know about me being a mercenary,” Jimin starts. “If they tell the authorities, I’m dead.” Jimin’s stare is wide. Yugyeom flinched.

“So what happened?” He asked, hoping Jimin would answer his question. Jimin sighed, stealing another glance in Yoongi’s direction before continuing. 

“They stopped me on my way to work, told me they would tell authorities if I fought back. So I didn’t,” Jimin explains. Yugyeom notices the sadness in his eyes as he speaks.

“Is this the first time?” Yugyeom asked. Jimin shakes his head. 

“Yoongi doesn’t know, and they don’t know about him,” Jimin adds quickly, staring into Yugyeom’s eyes. 

“Hey, what are you two talking about?” Yoongi yells out, his words slurring as he speaks. A drop of golden beer drops down his chin, catching it in his shirt sleeve as he wipes his mouth. 

“Just catching up,” Jimin answers. “Don’t drink too much or you’ll throw up,” he warns, raising an eyebrow at the older male who snorts in response.

The night carries on, Jimin occasionally moving away from Yugyeom to serve drinks to other customers while he keeps an eye on Yoongi’s alcohol intake. It’s late, from the way Yugyeom’s eyes close on their own he knows him and Jackson shouldn’t stay much longer. Youngjae and the others at home would worry. Yugyeom was about to stand up to move towards Jackson, but Jimin grabs the sleeve of his shirt. The older boy’s eyes are wide, looking to the side. Suddenly, Yugyeom is pushed back, almost falling off his chair. The crash that sounds seconds later gives him the answer to why he was pushed.

Glass shatters behind Yoongi, the glass cabinet door exploding out from an arrow that had been shot. Yoongi and Jackson duck as glass rains down around them. The dancing crowd doesn’t stop, the loud crash doesn’t disturb them the slightest. Yoongi stands back up, his eyes narrowed.

“Who the hell was that?” He yells, fists clenched at his sides. The drunkenness seems to be gone for the moment. Jimin goes stiff as the large burly men make their way to the bar, one holding a bow in his large hands. “You piece of shit. You going to pay for that?” Yoongi sneers, marching over towards where the men are standing behind the bar. The men don’t respond, staring down intimidatingly at Jimin. Yugyeom clenches his hands into fists. 

“Who the hell do you think you are?” Jackson adds in, standing up from his barstool. One man turns to Jackson, pulling a dagger from a sheath. Jackson steps back warily, having nothing to arm himself with. 

“We’re here for the mercenary,” another says, his voice is deep and gravelly. Jimin goes stiff, eyes narrowing. 

“I didn’t say anything, get out,” Jimin snarls, never breaking eye contact with the largest of the four men. Yoongi staggers towards Jimin, grabbing his wrist. 

“What the hell are they talking about?” He asks, his words beginning to slur once again. Jimin stares into his eyes, mouth open slightly. 

“He’s a criminal and must be taken to the authorities to be locked away,” the same man says. Yoongi’s eyes quickly switch to the man who had spoken. He points a shaky finger at the man.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about, now get out of my bar,” Yoongi says calmly. The man standing dangerously close to Yugyeom suddenly grabs an empty glass and breaks it against the table. He tugs on the back of Yugyeom’s shirt, pulling him off of the barstool he sat on. A shard of glass is pressed against his throat, already digging into his soft skin. Jimin’s eyes go wide.

“Don’t,” he says, putting a hand back against Yoongi’s chest to gently urge him back. Yugyeom grits his teeth, his skin tearing under the sharp edge of the glass. 

“Come with us and he won’t get hurt,” the man says, his voice heard over the noise of the crowd. A few people have noticed the situation and backed away nervously away from the bar. Jimin is silent as if he’s thinking. Yugyeom can see Jackson watching him, eyes wide as he stares at the younger male. Suddenly there's a commotion near the entrance to the bar. A few shouts and yelps. 

“The town guard is here,” Jimin growls, seeming slightly panicked. The man holding Yugyeom is distracted by the commotion, so Yugyeom takes his chance. He slams his fist into the man’s groin, causing the glass to slide down his neck, luckily not cutting deep. He quickly slips out of the man’s grasp, landing a punch to his cheek before grabbing Jackson’s hand and urging Jimin to get himself and Yoongi out. The other three men obviously don’t know what to do, giving the four plenty of time to slip away. Once they make it outside and they take off down the street, Jimin practically dragging Yoongi beside him. The town guard is still busy inside the tavern. Jimin rounds the corner in front of Yugyeom and Jackson and yelps as he collides with someone. 

“Hey! What the fu- Jimin?” Jungkook’s voice questions. Yugyeom and Jackson skid to a stop and slowly turn the corner. Jimin is helping Taehyung off of the ground while Jungkook helps support a drunk Yoongi. 

“What happened? Something at the bar? Yugyeom, are you bleeding?” Taehyung asks, moving past Jimin and stopping in front of Yugyeom. Yugyeom flinches as Taehyung’s finger brushes Yugyeom’s neck. 

“Some guys beat the shit out of me earlier, told me if I fought back or told anyone they’d turn me in. I think they changed their mind and tried to take me in,” Jimin explains, rubbing his head. Yoongi turns, eyes wide. 

“Jimin, why didn’t you tell me?” Yoongi asks, stumbling forward but not getting too far. Jimin just waves him off. 

“We’ll talk later, we should get off the streets and Jackson and Yugyeom need to get home,” Jimin says. Taehyung nods in agreement. 

“You two can stay with us tonight. Have a safe trip home you two, I hope we’ll see each other soon,” Taehyung says. And with that, the two groups part, headed in different directions.

“Does it hurt?” Jackson asks as the two make their way back to where the dragons are. Yugyeom looks over at Jackson and carefully presses a finger to one of the cuts on his neck. 

“It stings a little. Jinyoung will patch it up when we get home,” Yugyeom says, feeling the slight pain when his finger presses against his sensitive skin. “Don’t worry about it, I’m okay.”

-x-

“Kunpimook, Youngjae, you two should come in now, it’s getting late,” Jaebum says from the doorway. The two younger males sit outside waiting for Yugyeom and Jackson to arrive. Youngjae hasn’t expected them to be gone for this long and he was starting to worry. “They’ll get back soon, just come in,” Jaebum adds, it’s almost like he’s talking to a wall. Youngjae shakes his head, his eyes scanning the night sky. Jaebum sighs, running his fingers through his dark hair.

“We’ll come in soon hyung, you can go inside,” Kunpimook says, turning around to look back at Jaebum. The older male frowns, watching Youngjae looking up into the sky. 

“I’ll go make some tea, when you’re ready come to mine and Youngjae’s room,” Jaebum says, ruffling Kunpimook’s white hair. The younger male smiles up at Jaebum before turning around, wrapping his arm around Youngjae’s shoulders. Youngjae hears the door slowly closing behind them, he breathes in and exhales, his shoulders dipping with his breath. 

“They should be home now, right?” Youngjae asked, not taking his eyes off of the sky. Kunpimook sighed, rubbing Youngjae’s arm gently. 

“They’re probably just exploring Thonada a bit, they haven’t been out of Saeris in years,” Kunpimook points out. Youngjae relaxes a little bit, but worry still pools in the pit of his stomach. He nods and slowly begins to get to his feet. Kunpimook stands beside him, offering a hand. Youngjae takes the younger males hand and pulls himself to his feet. He turns and takes one last look up at the night sky before beginning to walk towards the door.

That’s when a roar pierced the night. Youngjae whips around. He squints, gazing up at the sky and finally zeroes in on the two dragons heading their way. “They’re okay,” Youngjae sighs in relief. Kunpimook grabs his shoulder.

“I told you,” he says with a smile. The dragons land, Jackson sliding off first and rushing to Fenrir. Carefully he helps Yugyeom slide down, the younger holding his hand over his neck. As the two move closer, Youngjae can spot a dark substance staining Yugyeom’s hand and the collar of his light colored shirt. 

“Oh my god, what happened?” Kunpimook yelps, rushing forward, his hands hovering above Yugyeom’s bloodied hand. 

“Long story, we’ll tell you after we get him to Jinyoung,” Jackson says. Youngjae takes that as a cue to get the door. Jackson helps Yugyeom inside, the younger seeming dazed. 

“Is it deep?” Youngjae asks nervously, seeing the amount of blood in the light. Jackson shakes his head. 

“Wounds to the neck bleed more, he should be okay though,” Jackson says, staying calm as they move through the Palace. The approach the infirmary, luckily the door is open and the lights are on. Someone must be inside. Jackson walks in first, causing Jinyoung to look up from the papers he was looking at. 

“Yugyeom, what happened?” Jinyoung asked, immediately standing up and making his way to where Jackson sat Yugyeom down. 

“A bar fight in Thonada,” Jackson said, scratching his head. Youngjae’s eyes widened. 

“Why the hell were you at a bar?” Jinyoung yelps, his eyes staying focused on the bleeding cuts on Yugyeom’s neck. The younger hisses in pain as the skin moves. 

“We met up with Yoongi and Jimin at Yoongi’s tavern, some guys knew about Jimin being a mercenary, tried to take him in,” Jackson explains as Jinyoung and Kunpimook help Yugyeom lay down. Jinyoung then makes his way to a large cabinet, pulling out white bandages and and cloth. He runs the cloth under water for a second before wringing it out. 

“Are Yoongi and Jimin okay?” Youngjae asks, hearing the familiar names.

“Yeah, they’re staying with Taehyung and Jungkook for now,” Jackson reassures the younger male. Youngjae nods slowly and lets out a soft sigh. 

-x-

When the door finally creaks open, Jaebum looks up from his book. He had already remade seven cups of tea because the first cups had gotten cold. Mark lay across Jaebum’s lap, Jaebum’s fingers gently massaging his scalp. Youngjae enters first, followed by Kunpimook, Jinyoung, Jackson and Yugyeom. Mark sits up when the group walks in. 

“Yugyeom!” he exclaims, eyes caught on the white bandages wrapped around his neck. 

“I’m fine hyung,” Yugyeom says sheepishly, scratching his forehead. Jaebum sighs and sits up as well. 

“I made tea, get comfortable everyone,” Jaebum says. The group thankfully take the warm cups, sipping on the drink carefully. 

“The Summer Festival starts tomorrow,” Youngjae says after the tea had been finished and all seven lay comfortably together in the large bed. Jaebum smiles, gently pushing blonde hair out of Youngjae’s eyes. 

“Get some sleep so we can spend the day together,” Jaebum whispers. Youngjae smiles contently before laying his head down on the pillow and closing his eyes. 

Jaebum smiles, looking around at the six others around him. It had been awhile since they’d slept all together in the same bed. He made a mental note to do this more often. With that, Jaebum closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay, next chapter is the OFFICIAL start of the Summer Festival. Also there will be more Astro and KNK next chapter. 
> 
> And I do want to make it a long one so if I take a long time to update, that’s why. I want to do my best :)
> 
> that’s why it took me so long with this chapter, i didn’t really know what i wanted to do with it. but just to let you all know, what happened in Thonada will cause something to happen most likely in book 3 so stay tuned friends!
> 
> \- alexa :)


	8. seven. eclipse

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> now we’re getting somewhere ;)

Jihun’s eyes are downcast, gazing at the blade in his hand. His long fingers trail down the flat blade. He sees his own reflection in the clean metal. A soft sigh escapes his lips as he sets the sword down and falls back onto his bed. Soon, he’ll be free. His crew won’t have to run any longer. But this wasn’t a simple task. Sure, the pirate crew had kidnapped before. But this time they were attempting to kidnap the King of Saeris. A dull ache in his calf causes Jihun to twist his leg to look at the scar that served as a reminder that he was still controlled. The scar was ragged and the wound had run deep. Jihun rubs his eyes and drops his sword on the floor. It hits the ground with a loud clang. Jihun lays back on the bed, looking up at the ceiling. 

Moments later, there is a knock on his door. Jihun pushes himself up. “Come in,” he says, pushing his ash blonde hair out of his eyes. The door creaks open revealing Minhyuk standing behind it. 

“The Captain’s messenger is here, he wants to speak with you,” Minhyuk says, there’s a glint of fear in the young boy’s eyes as he speaks. Jihun nods and stands up, his calf aching slightly as he walks toward the door. Minhyuk has his own fair share of encounters with the Captain who had held Seungjun and Jihun captive for years. Minhyuk was one of the Captain’s political prisoners. A boy of noble blood from the island nation of Neanna far north of Saeris. The boy had been kidnapped from his home at the age of twelve and had lived as a pirate since. Jihun put a hand on Minhyuk’s shoulder.

“It’s late, go get some rest. We have work to do tomorrow and we’re going to need you,” Jihun says, sending the younger male off to bed. Minhyuk nods with a deep breath and turns to make his way to the room he shares with Moonbin. Jihun turns the opposite hand and heads towards the stairs to head above deck. The moon is almost full as Jihun appears on deck, the bright light shining into the lagoon where the pirate ship is docked. There is a burly man standing on the deck, a cloth tied around his face covering his nose and mouth. Youjin stands nearby, sword in hand, sending wary glances at the messenger. 

“You wanted to see me?” Jihun asked, his voice loud and demanding. From the bow of the ship, Jinwoo appears, his dark hair giving him a menacing look in the moonlight. 

“The Captain wants confirmation that you will go through with your plans to kidnap the King of Saeris,” the messenger rasps, his voice is deep. Jihun narrows his eyes.

“Tomorrow is the beginning of the Summer Festival, it will be easier to get the King lost in the crowd and away from his guard dogs, we will have the King by tomorrow night,” Jihun explains confidently. “Now get off my ship,” he sneers, glaring daggers at the messenger. The messenger doesn’t say another word. Youjin inched closed, pressuring the messenger to leave. There is no protest from the messenger as he climbs over the railing and disappears over the side of the ship. 

“Make sure he leaves please,” Jihun says to Youjin. The older male nodding before leaning over the rail to confirm the messengers departure. When Jihun turns around, he spots Sanha and Heejun leaning over the rail of the helm. 

“Okay are the watches scheduled?” Jinwoo asks, moving closer to Jihun. 

“Everything is set,” Seungjun says from the bow. “Sanha and Heejun are first, then Eunwoo and Myungjun, Youjin and Jinwoo and Moonbin and I,” Seungjun explains. Jihun cocks his head to the side.

“Let someone else sleep, I can take a watch,” Jihun protests. Jinwoo shakes his head.

“You’ve been stressed, you need sleep, and I won’t tell you again,” The older male says. Jihun opens his mouth to speak, but nothing comes out. His shoulders sag and he gives up. 

“Then let’s all get to bed, Sanha, Heejun you have first watch,” Jihun says. The crew on deck disperses to finish up last minute jobs before going to bed. Seungjun follows Jihun down the stairs to where the crew’s rooms are located. Seungjun opens the bedroom door and allows Jihun to walk in first. Jihun soon lays down on the bed, already wearing his comfortable clothes. Seungjun sits down next to him. 

“Get some rest Kimchi, I’ll wake you up in the morning,” Seungjun says before blowing out the lanterns in the room plunging the room into darkness. Jihun feels Seungjun’s arms wrap around his waist as he closes his eyes. 

And Jihun falls asleep with a smile on his face.

-x-

Youngjae stood in front of the long mirror in his room, his hands smoothing down the front of his light coat. The gold embroidery felt rough against his fingers. Luckily the shirt was made short sleeve to be able to withstand the summer heat. Jaebum sat on the bed behind him, already dressed for the festival. The older male was dressed in a green vest over a white short sleeve shirt. A brown sash was draped across the front of his body. Jaebum stood up with a sigh and walked towards Youngjae. 

“You ready? The others are probably waiting outside,” Jaebum says. Youngjae nods with a smile. Youngjae makes his way towards the door. Before they leave, Jaebum rushes back into the room and returns with Youngjae’s golden crown. Jaebum carefully sets the crown atop Youngjae’s head. “Much better,” he smiles, fixing up Youngjae’s hair before moving to open the door.

Youngjae smiles as he exits the room. The two walk side by side down the hall. “I’m so excited,” Youngjae confesses, his hands clenched into fists at his sides. Jaebum smiles and lets out a soft laugh. The others await the two by the grand double doors leading outside. 

“What took you so long?” Yugyeom asks. The youngest wears a loose dark blue shirt that he tucked into his pants. Kunpimook is at his side wearing a simple white shirt. Jackson looks more knightley, still having to offer protection during the festival alongside Jaebum. Mark and Jinyoung look more calm. Mark in olive green and Jinyoung in maroon. 

“Just getting ready, now let’s not waste time. Come on!” Youngjae exclaims, rushing towards the doors and pushing them open. The sun pours in, and the sound of the festival is like music. Youngjae takes a deep breath in, the summer breeze is so calming. The others are close behind the young King as he leads them down the long driveway of the Palace. 

Once they arrive in town, the sounds grow louder. Carriages offer tours of the kingdom to visiting foreigners while vendors sell snacks and souvenirs. On one table, a vendor offers beautifully carved and painted dragons, the symbol of Saeris. 

“What do we do first Youngjae?” Jinyoung asked, putting a hand on the younger’s shoulder. Youngjae looked around. 

“We can watch the ships come into the harbor, explore the marketplace, get some snacks,” Youngjae offers his ideas to the group. 

“I’m hungry, I didn’t eat this morning,” Yugyeom says, placing a hand on his stomach, eyes downcast. 

“Snacks first?” Youngjae asks, making sure everyone is okay with the idea. Jackson nods happily, the others following seconds later. Youngjae leads the group, knowing the best spots to find good food. Hopefully with the food shipments from Thonada, the same delicious snacks would be offered like in past years. People crowd the streets where the vendors set up shop for the duration of the festival. Jaebum stays close to Youngjae’s side, his eyes open and alert for any threats against the King and his entourage. From behind, Jinyoung squeezes the hand that wasn’t hovering over the sword in Jaebum’s sheath. Jaebum turns his head to look back at the other male. 

“He’s fine, relax,” Jinyoung says quietly to keep the comment between the two of them. Jaebum lets out a shaky breath and his shoulders droop. His hand falls away from the sword. Youngjae suddenly stops in front of a vendor. An older woman stands up, coming to the table. 

“Youngjae-ah! It’s good to see you! How have you been?” the woman asks, her eyes wide and cheerful. Youngjae greets her with a smile. 

“I’m great, how are you and the kids?” Youngjae inquires. The conversation between the two sounds casual and friendly. 

“The kids are of with their father, hopefully not causing too much trouble. Now what can I get for you?” The woman wonders, setting out a wide array of delicious looking cakes and cookies. Youngjae steps aside to allow the others crowding behind him to see. 

“What looks good? My treat,” Youngjae says with a cheerful grin. Jackson comes up behind Youngjae wrapping his strong arms around the younger males waist.

“Aw Youngjae, so kind to your hyungs,” Jackson coos, his voice high pitched. Jaebum rolls his eyes, a smile pulling at his lips. After long debates between the group, they decided on three red velvet cupcakes decorated intricately with white frosting. two chocolate cupcakes with fluffy chocolate frosting and a vanilla cupcake with frosting colored light blue. Once they were seated on the green lawn of a park, Kunpimook took his chocolate cupcake, taking a large bite. Frosting covers his nose and face. Yugyeom snorts when he sees Kunpimook’s face covered in chocolate frosting. He looks down trying not to laugh. Kunpimook laughs, licking the frosting off of his lips. Youngjae takes a seat on the soft grass, his red velvet cupcake in hand. The group sits together in the grass, the warm sun beating down on them. Music can be heard from the town. Children laughing and friends chatting. 

“I can’t even remember the last time I came to one of these,” Yugyeom sighs, laying down in the grass after he had finished his cupcake. He wipes frosting from his lips and stretches out his long limbs. The group hadn’t had a relaxing day together in months, this was their time to be together, and nothing would change that.

-x-

The sky began to grow dark as the sun set in the west. The lights from the kingdom began to light up. “Jackson and I have other duties to attend to, we’ll meet you all back at the palace,” Jaebum says. The two were apart of the security for the festival and now was the time they were on duty. 

“Stay safe, we’ll see you soon,” Jackson says. The two depart from the rest of the group and disappear into the crowd. 

“Well, what now, should we head back. I’m getting tired,” Mark suggests, rubbing his fingers through his messy hair. Youngjae hums softly, he didn’t nescessarily want to go back yet. 

“I want to go back too,” Yugyeom chimes in, rubbing his eyes. It had been a long day for all of them. Exploring everything that was offered during the festival. 

“I’ll stay out with you if you want?” Kunpimook says, looking over at Youngjae, seeing his discontent when faced with the decision of going back to the Palace. Youngjae nods happily, looking over at Jinyoung who hadn’t given his opinion. 

“I’ll stay out as well, is that okay with you two?” Jinyoung wonders, looking over at Mark and Yugyeom. 

“That’s okay, we’ll probably just go to sleep. Probably in Youngjae and Jaebum’s bed,” Yugyeom says. Youngjae rolls his eyes. 

“When you get home, can you change Yugyeom’s bandages?” Jinyoung asked, talking about the recent wound inflicted across the youngest’s throat. Mark gives Jinyoung a thumbs up. The two make their way through the crowd. That leaves Jinyoung, Kunpimook and Youngjae. 

“Okay, there should be fireworks tonight, I know a good spot to watch from,” Youngjae says. Jinyoung wraps his arms around the younger two. 

“Then let’s go,” Jinyoung says. And once again, Youngjae leads the way. He weaves through the crowd, his fingers intertwined with Kunpimook’s so he doesn’t lose the younger in the crowd. The three weave through people, keeping their heads low to avoid being stopped by people. Youngjae would visit with his people in the upcoming days of the celebration. They arrive near a part of the kingdom that sits on a hill. There were already people there, blankets set out on the hill, claiming people’s spots for the firework show. Jinyoung took off his jacket and placed it on the ground.

“I hope this is good enough to save our spot,” Jinyoung laughs. “Let’s grab a quick bite to eat,” he suggests, looking through his pouch for money. 

“Thanks hyung,” Kunpimook smiled. And together the three walked down back towards the crowd of people where a few vendors were setting out food for the revellers. Jinyoung stopped at one vendor while Kunpimook and Youngjae stood back. Out of the corner of Youngjae’s eye, he saw a figure staring. Right at him. He turned his head. The figure held eye contact for a moment before seeming to melt into the shadows. Youngjae looked around, nothing else seemed out of the ordinary. Kunpimook noticed how the other seemed unnerved and took his hand.

“What’s wrong?” he whispered. Youngjae shivered, the temperature seeming to drop around them. 

“There was someone watching me, I don’t know where they are now,” Youngjae responds. Kunpimook inhales, puffing out his chest, eyes narrowed as he searched the crowd for anything unusual. “It’s fine, don’t worry,” Youngjae sighs, just hoping it had been a civilian recognizing him. Jinyoung turns towards them and they begin to head back to their spot on the hill. As they walk, time seems to slow down, but Youngjae doesn’t know why. 

Then, a rough hand grabs him by his bicep and drags him into the shadows. “Hey!” Jinyoung yells, dropping the food in his hand to run after Youngjae. Youngjae struggles, his nails digging into the persons arms, most likely drawing blood at this point. Jinyoung’s hands help, pulling the persons arms away from Youngjae. Kunpimook joins in too, kicking behind the persons knees. Youngjae falls out of the person’s grasp and scrambles towards Jinyoung.

“Run,” the oldest of the three says. They turn to exit the alley, but two more figures stand in their way. Youngjae turns his head and spots three more figures emerging from the darkness. 

“Kunpimook get Youngjae out of here,” Jinyoung says. There is no time to talk, because seconds later, Jinyoung pounces at the three behind them. This gives Kunpimook and Youngjae the chance to run passed the three and into the dark. Youngjae didn’t know exactly where they were going at this point. Finally the two stumbled out into an open patch of grass behind a few houses, facing the forest.

Youngjae’s eyes were wide as him and Kunpimook found themselves alone, pushed back to the outskirts of the busy town. Kunpimook moves in front of Youngjae, pulling his sword from the sheath it rested in. Youngjae kept his eyes open, hand resting on the handle of his dagger hidden beneath his clothing. Suddenly a figure moves out from behind a house. There’s a black hood over their face, some sort of cloth hiding their mouth and nose. Kunpimook spins on his heels to face the direction of the figure. 

“This doesn’t have to be hard, stand down and give the King to me,” the boy says. His voice makes him sound young, possibly younger than Kunpimook. Kunpimook shakes his head, his sword held in front of him. 

“If you come any closer someone’s gonna get hurt,” Kunpimook sneers, his white hair glinting in his light from the moon. His eyes are bright and narrowed. Youngjae catches movement out of the corner of his eye. He cautiously turns to find the source of the movement. In the tree line, another hooded figure stood. The silvery glint of metal alerts Youngjae that this figure is armed. 

“Kunpimook,” Youngjae whispers, nudging the younger’s shoulder. Kunpimook turns his head for a second.

“Shit,” Kunpimook breathes out. But it’s not just two they have to worry about. From the darkness, more figures appear. They seems to melt into reality from the pitch black of the forest. The multiple figures block off any exit back into the city. 

“Through the forest, I can get us back to the palace,” Youngjae whispers before quickly grabbing Kunpimook by the arm and bolting into the forest. Without hesitation, the hooded figure chase after. In the darkness, it’s hard to see the trails, but Youngjae doesn’t stop running. It’s not long until Youngjae sees one of the figures running a few feet away beside him. His hood has blown off from the wind and reveals dark brown hair. He’s shorter than Youngjae, but he definitely looks stronger. 

“Youngjae keep going, I’ll hold them off,” Kunpimook yells as he skids to a stop. Youngjae slows down and turns around. The male that had been running beside him realizes as quickly slows down as well. One of the many figures jumps at Kunpimook. The white haired male is quicker. His sword sinks into skin and everything stops.

“Moonbin!” the male beside Youngjae screams. The pure fear in his voice honestly breaks Youngjae’s heart. 

“Go Youngjae, go,” Kunpimook yells, drawing back his sword and bolting after Youngjae. Youngjae got a glance at Kunpimook’s face and noticed how scared he looked. Youngjae kept running. He knows he’s almost back to the city when he begins to see the lights of the festival through the trees. But then, Kunpimook is tackled to the ground. Youngjae stops and whips around. A tall dark haired male lay on top of Kunpimook, grappling to pull his arms behind his back. Kunpimook looks up.

“Run!” He screams.

Youngjae runs. 

He runs for his life. 

He wants to cry. He left Kunpimook, maybe they killed him. Maybe they planned to leave him in the woods. Who knows. But Youngjae kept running. Leaves and branches crack under his feet as he runs. His lungs are deprived of a stable breath, causing him to slow down. His calves burn from the constant running. He can’t go on much longer. He can’t even tell where the figures chasing him have gone. He just runs. 

Then, his foot catches a tree root and he falls face first into the dirt. Red hot pain shoots up his leg, causing Youngjae to cry out in pain. Footsteps slow to a stop behind him. Through teary eyes, Youngjae looks up to see a light haired male leaning over him. He’s seen this man before. 

“Come Jihun, get him and let’s go,” a deep voice from somewhere else says. 

Jihun. 

That’s his name. 

Youngjae scrambles to his back, scooting back as far as he could. This was it, they were going to kill him. Saeris would be left without a King. What about the others? They would never find out what happened to Kunpimook and Youngjae. Jihun stands up straight. 

“Youjin, Jinwoo, deal with him, let’s get back to the ship,” Jihun says. Two men walk towards Youngjae. 

“Please don’t,” Youngjae stutters pathetically. The two close in and grab his arms. 

“We’re not going to kill you, relax,” one says into his ear. Youngjae relaxes for a second. Something crashes into the back of his head. Youngjae lurches forward, spots dance in eyes. But he can’t keep his eyes open and he closes his eyes and everything fades away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reading! i hope you all enjoyed. I hope to begin a new story soon (i will still be updating this one) i just really want to write a stray kids fic because they are amazing. Also Look is a bop, got7 are kings. thank you all again for reading!!   
> \- alexa :)


	9. eight. displace

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> another 3k word chapter and a cameo from stray kids, hope you enjoy!

Screaming can be heard from the lagoon as Jihun’s group arrives. The white haired male had apprehended was on his knees in the sand, hands bound behind his back with rope. He was screaming profanities at Seungjun and Heejun who kept him in place. Jihun breaks through the tree line first. Jinwoo and Youjin are right behind him, Youjin carrying the unconscious King on his back. The white haired male’s eyes go wide. The moonlight cascading down into the lagoon makes the man’s white hair sparkle.

“What the hell did you do to him, let him go!” he screams, attempting to stand up. Seungjun keeps his hands on the male’s shoulders to keep him down. 

“He’s not dead relax,” Heejun says in a soft voice. The white haired male looks up at Heejun, confusion in his eyes. 

“Please let him go,” he begs, his shoulders shaking. The two captives had to be the same age or only slightly older than the pirate crew. Jihun had to look away from the white haired male. 

“Did Minhyuk and Dongmin get Moonbin back?” Jihun asks. 

“Myungjun is with him, he’s going to be okay,” Jinwoo says. Jihun lets out a relieved sigh before turning back to Youjin. 

“The gangplank is down, can you take him to the holding cells?” Jihun asks. Youjin nods and adjusts the male on his back before walking up the gangplank and onto the ship that had been moved closer to the shore so there would be less trouble with transporting their captive. 

“Are you going to kill me now?” the white haired male asks, his shoulders trembling. Jinwoo walks towards Jihun. 

“What are we going to do with him, we can’t let him go,” Jinwoo says. Jihun looks back at the white haired male and then back at Jinwoo. 

“We can’t kill him, I won’t kill him,” Jihun whispers. Jinwoo nods. Jihun lets out a soft sigh, looking back at the white haired male. Without saying a word to Jinwoo, he makes his way to the white haired male. He kneels down in front of the captive. 

“What’s your name,” Jihun asked, his voice soft, hoping it would get the other to answer his question. After a short hesitation, the other responds. 

“Kunpimook,” he says. The name is a mouthful, but Jihun does his best. 

“Okay, Kunpimook. We won’t kill you, but we can’t let you go either. We’re going to bring you with us,” Jihun explains. Kunpimook flinches away from Jihun, a cut on his cheek being exposed to the sand and wind. 

“What are you going to do with Youngjae?” Kunpimook asks. Jihun has to answer, there’s no point in hiding the truth, 

“We’re going to trade him,” Jihun answers. Kunpimook stiffens and goes back to struggling, causing Seungjun and Heejun to have to hold him down. 

“For what?” Kunpimook sneers, his teeth grit, eyes narrowed in a deadly glare. 

“Freedom.”

-x-

The only thing he could hear was water. And the slight rocking was calming. Then Youngjae opens his eyes and everything comes back. He takes in his surroundings. The walls are wooden and one wall is made up is thick metal bars. Youngjae pushes himself off of the floor and presses himself against the bars. 

“Hello? Is anyone there? Kunpimook?” Youngjae yells. No response. The floor rocks beneath him and he can hear water outside. Where is he? Youngjae steps back away from the bars and pain shoots up from his right foot. He crumpled to the ground, clutching his sprained ankle. He carefully removes his shoe and rolls up his pant leg. His ankle is swelling and the skin is red with irritation. He pushes himself back so his back is leaning against the wall. He has to find a way out. He has to find Kunpimook.

If he’s even alive. 

Youngjae shudders and his eyes begin to fill with tears. Kunpimook could be dead. And Jinyoung, who they had left behind in order to escape. Was Jinyoung okay? His shoulders tremble. But he’s a King. He has to pull himself together. Use his head. 

How can he get out. His eyes scan the cell, there was nothing but dust and nails. Youngjae crawls back to the corner of the cell and picks up one of the old nails. Footsteps above cause Youngjae to flinch as he hides the nail in his fist. The footsteps walk down what sounds like stairs down the hall. He stays quiet as the footsteps get closer and closer until they stop. Youngjae looks up and his eyes go wide.

“Kunpimook, y-you’re alive,” Youngjae says. The white haired male stares down at him, the warmth that wasn’t there when he first appeared returned to his eyes when he saw Youngjae. He is being led by two of their captors one at each of his sides. Youngjae cautiously moves closer, the nail still held in his closed fist. The taller of the two with Kunpimook moves behind him, untying the rope binding his wrists. The shorter leads Kunpimook towards the cell, the taller opening the heavy door. Youngjae waits until Kunpimook is out of reach before jabbing the nail into the short captors thigh. 

“Fuck,” he swore, stumbling back. Youngjae pulls Kunpimook with him as the tall male pulls his friend away from the cell. He quickly closes and locks the door. 

“Heejun, what happened? What did you do?” the tall male sneers, glaring at Youngjae as he supports the shorter male, Heejun. Youngjae stays silent and tosses the nail out of the cell, there are plenty more where that came from. The tall male leans down to pick up the bloody nail. He re-adjusts his hold on Heejun’s waist before helping the shorter down the hall. Kunpimook drops to his knees in front of Youngjae who automatically breaks into tears. The rebellious facade broken into pieces. He throws his arms around the younger male, his head resting on his shoulder, pushed into the crook of his neck. 

“Don’t worry hyung, we’ll get out of here,” Kunpimook says. One hand rubs circles in Youngjae’s back to keep him calm while the other massages his scalp. Youngjae slowly pulls away, wiping his puffy eyes. 

“Y-you’re bleeding,” Youngjae says, his thumb brushing Kunpimook’s cheek just under the cut. Kunpimook waves him off. 

“It’s just a scratch, but you’re hurt too,” Kunpimook says, pointing at Youngjae’s obviously swollen ankle. “Let me see,” he says. Youngjae carefully adjusts himself lifting his leg just above the ground to keep his ankle from scraping against the floor. Kunpimook carefully moves Youngjae’s swollen ankle into his lap, pushing up his pant leg.

“Would be nice if we had some light,” Kunpimook frowned. He looked up into Youngjae’s eyes. “What happened?” he wondered, his fingers gently brushing the swollen limb. 

“I tripped over tree roots, I twisted it. Possibly sprained it,” Youngjae says, hissing as Kunpimook’s fingers make contact with his ankle. He apologizes under his breath and removes his jacket. He places the balled up jacket on the floor and places Youngjae’s ankle on top of it. Youngjae grits his teeth but soon relaxes, laying down on the dirty floor. Kunpimook sighs and moves to lay beside Youngjae. 

“Do you know where we are?” Youngjae wondered, Kunpimook must’ve seen the outside before being brought down here. 

“We’re on a Pirate Ship in the lagoon south of the Kingdom,” Kunpimook explains. Youngjae clenches his fists. Pirates. Of course. 

“I’m sorry I can’t do more for you,” Kunpimook says, disappointment clear in his voice. Youngjae scolds him, gently hitting him in the head. 

“I’m the reason you’re stuck here, don’t you dare apologize,” Youngjae says, looking over at the younger. Kunpimook nods with a sigh. “Close your eyes, we’ll be able to think better if we get some rest,” Youngjae says. He gets as comfortable as he can and closes his eyes. 

Maybe it’s the sound of the water, or the slight rocking of the boat, but he somehow falls asleep.

-x-

“That son of a bitch stabbed Heejun in the leg with a fucking nail,” Seungjun growled, the younger male clinging to him. Jihun looks down to see blood staining Heejun’s pant leg at his thigh. Jihun takes a deep breath, anger boiling in his stomach. 

“Take him to Myungjun, I’m coming with you to check on Moonbin,” Jihun says. The three make their way to the main cabin of the ship where the infirmary is located. Jihun carefully opens the door. Myungjun has finished caring for Moonbin and is now cleaning and sanitizing his equipment. Minhyuk is asleep in a chair at Moonbin’s bedside. The older of the two unconscious in the bed, but at least he’s alive. Myungjun turns his head when the door opens. 

“What’s wrong?” Myungjun asks, noticing how Heejun cling to Seungjun. 

“Youngjae stabbed him with a nail,” Seungjun said, walking closer to Myungjun. Myungjun points at an empty bed and goes to his drawer of supplies. Seungjun and Jihun help Heejun up onto the bed, the younger hissing in pain.

“Hyung, it hurts,” Heejun says, his voice cracking, looking down at the blood stains on his pant leg. Myungjun is soon at Heejun’s side, pushing Seungjun away to give himself and the younger more space. He begins by cutting away the fabric around the wound. There’s a hole in Heejun’s thigh where the nail pierced into his skin. Blood drips down his thigh, painting his skin red. The hole isn’t large but it’s deep, cutting into the muscle. The flesh is torn colored dark red from the blood. 

Jihun scrunches his nose, the metallic scent of blood filling the air. He has to step away and makes his way over to Moonbin’s bed. Minhyuk sit beside the bed, his chest and head resting on the side of the bed. He’s passed out, his hand placed in Moonbin’s. Jihun smiles at the sight. Jihun ruffles Moonbin’s hair as the other starts to wake. 

“Moonbin-ah,” Jihun whispers as the younger opens his tired eyes. 

“Jihun hyung,” Moonbin says, a smile pulling at his lips. Jihun pulls up a chair and sits down beside the bed. 

“How are you feeling?” Jihun asks, looking down at the bandages. The younger male sighs and gently places a hand over the white bandages. 

“It hurts like hell,” Moonbin admits. Jihun frowns, angry that he can’t do much to help. The recent raids they had been on had been unlucky when it came to painkillers. Unless Jihun could get painkillers, both Moonbin and Heejun would just have to deal with the pain. 

“I’ll do my best to get you something to help with the pain,” Jihun says, fingers carding through Moonbin’s tangled hair. The younger male let’s out a pained breath. His eyes find Minhyuk sleeping beside the bed, his upper body resting on the edge of the mattress. 

“Can you take him to bed hyung?” Moonbin asks. The youngest of the crew were Moonbin, Minhyuk and Sanha, all three roped into the dangerous business at young ages against their will. Minhyuk being the one with the most experience out of the three. It saddened the older members, but the younger ones couldn’t go back to a normal life. 

“Of course I can, get some rest now,” Jihun says before carefully gathering Minhyuk’s small but muscular body into his arms. The younger groaned softly, beginning to wake. Moonbin motions for Jihun to hurry so Minhyuk could actually get proper rest. Jihun quickly exits the room, leaving Seungjun to watch over Heejun as Myungjun fixes him up. 

“Hyung, is Binnie awake yet?” Minhyuk asks, his voice raspy from sleep.

“No, but Myungjun hyung said he should be by morning, now you need to go to your bed and sleep,” Jihun says, carrying the younger down the steps below the deck to the crew members rooms. When he enters Minhyuk’s room, he spots Sanha asleep in the bed. The youngest curled up under the tattered blankets. Jihun lets Minhyuk down and makes sure he gets into the bed. “Go to sleep,” Jihun whispers, gently kissing his forehead before exiting the room. Before leaving the walk back up onto the deck, he turns, facing the way of the cell holding the crew’s two hostages. A long breath escapes him as he turns back towards the stairs.

-x-

The last thing Jinyoung remembered was a tall figure hovering above him, while a figure with a smaller build straddled his hips, fist raised to deliver the winning blow. Jinyoung was beat, of course he could defend himself, but he had to admit he wasn’t the best. Just before the small figure delivers the blow, Jinyoung coughs, choking on blood. 

“Pl-please don’t hurt them,” Jinyoung pleads. He probably sounds pathetic, lying helpless on the ground, face swollen and bloody. But he can see the figure hesitate.

“Hurry up, we have to find Jihun hyung before they leave us behind,” the tall male says. His voice is sweet and he almost sounds worried. The smaller male sighs and looks down at Jinyoung. Then he moves. Maybe Jinyoung passed out before he got hit, but if he didn’t he hadn’t felt the pain of the man’s knuckles against his cheek. 

The next thing he remembered was being carried on someone’s back, the people on the street giving them weird looks as they pass by. “Quick, take him inside,” a voice says. Jinyoung can hear a door opening and people filing inside. 

“My room,” a new voice from underneath him says. No one argues as they move up the stairs. Another door is opened once they get upstairs and Jinyoung can feel himself being laid down on a bed. The mattress isn’t the most comfortable but it’s better than rocks digging into his spine. He opens his eyes and sees a group of men, most likely younger than him. 

“ He’s awake,” the dark haired male announces. From the light of a lamp on the nightstand, Jinyoung can see streaks of blonde highlighting his messy hair. “My name is Chan, we found you in an alleyway. We decided to take you to our home to help you out. Can you talk? If it hurts too much, don’t strain yourself,” the man, Chan says. Jinyoung opens his mouth to speak, but his throat hurts. He coughs, blood staining his teeth. “Save your energy, we’ll get you fixed up first,” Chan says. 

There were four people in the room. The dark red haired male was rummaging through a worn leather bag. He places gauze and rubbing alcohol on the table. “Hyunjinnie, go get some wet rags, we’ll have to clean away the blood to see the wounds,” the man instructs. The y’all raven haired male nods and immediately rushed out. 

“I-Im Jaebum,” Jinyoung says. His voice is hoarse and barely audible. Chan looks over and cocks his head to the side. “Find,” it’s the only other word that Jinyoung can mutter before it hurts too much to talk. 

“Who?” the red haired male asks. 

“Head of the royal guard, this guy is probably important,” Chan says. Jinyoung wonders if they’ll threaten him, threaten to rob him. But they took him here to help him? Would they change their minds. “Minho, get Felix and Jisung, find Im Jaebum and bring him here,” Chan says, turning to the blonde haired male standing in the corner, watching worriedly. The man nods. Jinyoung shakes his wrist, showing the simple leather bracelet encircling his thin wrist. A gift from Jaebum, he would know the bracelet. He looks up at Chan hoping he’ll undertand. The dark haired male nods and quickly unties the bracelet, handing it to Minho. 

“We’ll be back,” Minho says, taking the bracelet and leaving the room. Hyunjin, the raven haired male, reenters the room, multiple cloths in hand. The red haired male takes one and moves towards Jinyoung. 

“It might sting, I’m sorry,” he apologizes before the damp cloth brushes his face, cleaning away the dirt and blood staining his skin. Jinyoung hisses in pain when the cloth hits a cut. The red haired male apologizes under his breath and continues until the blood is cleared away, leaving the location of the cuts and bruises. 

“Seungmin, do you need any extra help, I’m gonna grab something for him to eat and drink,” Chan says. The red haired male gives him a nervous look. “He can have my ration, it’s fine,” Chan responds. Jinyoung soon wonders if these young men have enough money to support themselves, there are obviously more of them that stay here. 

“No I’m good,” Seungmin says, turning back to Jinyoung. He opens the bottle of rubbing alcohol and pours some onto a dry cloth. He squeezes Jinyoung’s hand as he begins patting the cuts with the cloth. It stings, Jinyoung’s whole body tenses, but he does his best to stay still to let Seungmin work. As Seungmin finishes up, footsteps approach the doorway. Chan stands there, a cup of water in on hand and a bowl in the other. Seungmin checks for any other cuts, but only finds darkening bruises. Chan places the cup and bowl on the nightstand and helps Seungmin sit Jinyoung up. 

“I hope you don’t mind cold soup, I tried to warm it up the best I could,” Chan says apologetically. Jinyoung attempts to take the bowl, but his hands tremble. “I’ll help,” Chan says moving closer. He takes a spoonful of the soup that looks like chicken noodle and holds it to Jinyoung’s mouth. Jinyoung sighs as he tastes lukewarm soup. The flavor was amazing, Chan continues to spoon feed Jinyoung while Hyunjin helps Seungmin clean up.

A few minutes later the door downstairs opens and shuts. Jinyoung can hear footsteps rushing up the stairs. Soon, Jaebum stands in the doorway, Jackson only a few paces behind. “Jinyoungie,” Jackson yelps. The two move into the room, Jackson has Jinyoung’s bracelet held in his closed fist. Jaebum kneels beside the bed, Chan moving away to give him room. He moves Jinyoung’s hair out of his eyes and kisses his forehead. 

“What happened?” Jaebum asks. Jackson takes Jinyoung’s shaking hand. He tries to speak, opening his mouth. 

“J-Jae and, K-K-unpimook,” Jinyoung rasps. Jaebum tenses. 

“Where are they?” He asks, his voice shaky. Jinyoung grits his teeth.

“I-I don’t know. A-ambush,” Jinyoung manages to say. Jackson kisses the back of Jinyoung’s hand. Jaebum lets out a shaky breath. He’s angry. Not with Jinyoung.

“Jackson alert the guard, I’ll take Jinyoung home,” Jaebum orders. Jackson nods and without another word, exits the room. Jinyoung can see a curious face peeking in from the doorway. 

“Jeonginnie, go to bed please,” Chan says. The male in the doorway shakes his head and walks in. 

“Pirates, they raided our home a few days ago, took our savings and left,” Jeongin explains. Was it the Pirates that took Youngjae and Kunpimook? What would they want with them? 

“Thank you, we will make sure your money is retrieved or paid back by the Palace. Thank you for helping him, not many would,” Jaebum says, bowing in front of Chan. The younger males eyes go wide. 

“No need to bow, we just wanted to help,” Chan says, shocked by the sudden gesture. Jaebum then gathers a tired Jinyoung in his arms, the younger clinging to his neck. 

“Thank you,” Jinyoung croaks as Jaebum carries him out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the plan was to have this chapter up sooner, but i’ve been busy lately with sports, i hope to get the next update out as soon as possible! stay tuned!  
> \- alexa :)


	10. nine. inquire

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IM SORRY THIS WAS SO LATE

Silence. Not a common concept in the Palace. The remaining five sat in Youngjae’s study, all not daring to say a word. Yugyeom sat in a chair facing the wooden desk where Jaebum sat. The youngest had his elbows on his knees, his head in his hands. Jinyoung sat in the second chair, his face and neck bruised and cut. Jackson stood behind him, hands rested gently on his shoulders. Mark paced the room, his eyes locked on the floor. The morning sun was peeking through the curtains, casting streaks of light onto the floor.

Suddenly, Jaebum slams his fist on the table. The others jump, quickly turning to look at Jaebum. The dark haired male stands up, the chair he sat in falling back. “We have to find them,” he says, his voice cracking. The others are silent for a moment. 

“What do we do?” Yugyeom asked, finally looking up. Jaebum looked stuck for a moment, unsure of exactly how to handle the situation. What had they done before?

“We take the dragons and scout around, find the Pirates,” Jaebum says, standing up straight. “Jinyoung stay here to mobilize the troops when we find something,” he adds. Of course Jinyoung wasn’t happy about not being a part of the rescue mission, but he was tired and his whole body ached. 

“Come on let’s go,” Jackson says, opening the door for the others to leave the room. Jaebum stops in front of Jinyoung’s chair, kneeling down in front of him. Jinyoung’s eyes were narrowed in frustration.

“Bring them back, and give those damned Pirates hell,” Jinyoung says, his hand resting on Jaebum’s bicep. Jaebum nods and presses a soft kiss to Jinyoung’s forehead. Jaebum then exits the room, meeting the others outside. 

“If you find anything do not engage, head to the Palace and mobilize the troops,” Jaebum says. With a deep breath, he begins to lead the others outside to begin their search. 

-x-

Youngjae’s fingers and knuckles are red and bleeding from attempting the break or damage the lock holding him and Kunpimook in the dark cell. “Jae take a break, you’re bleeding,” Kunpimook pleads with the older, hoping he will stop. Youngjae shakes his head.

“I almost have it,” Youngjae says, gritting his teeth as he pulls on the lock, bending the old, worn metal. Suddenly the rusted metal breaks away from the door of the cell letting it swing open. Youngjae is filled with joy. They have to be in the lagoon still, the boat is steadily floating atop the water. They aren’t moving, they have to be in the lagoon. Kunpimook gets to his feet and pulls Youngjae to his feet, keeping him off of his bad ankle. 

“I’ve got you hyung,” Kunpimook says as he begins moving, cautiously down the hall. It’s early in the morning from what Youngjae can tell. They approach the staircase, Kunpimook struggling to carry Youngjae up the steep staircase to get up to the deck. Kunpimook pushes Youngjae up first. The Prince attempts to push himself up. As he struggles he realizes his surroundings have changed. They are no longer in the lagoon.

They’re in the middle of the ocean. “Kunpimook,” Youngjae says, collapsing back down onto the deck.

“What?” Kunpimook wonders, pulling himself up onto the deck. “Oh shit,” he says, looking out at the view. 

“Good morning,” a voice says, causing the two to jump in surprise. A man leans over the rail of the high deck housing the helm. 

“Take us home,” Kunpimook sneers, glaring up at the man. He squints, the sun in his eyes. The man’s dark maroon hair falls into his eyes as he stands and disappears for a moment. He appears on the steps leading to Kunpimook and Youngjae. “Where are you taking us?” Kunpimook demands, standing in front of Youngjae, his eyes wide and alert.

“Asirenia, that’s where we’re headed,” the man says, he’s fairly short, but he definitely looks intimidating. Under the sleeves of his shirt, long scars slither across his skin. Scars from a whip. Youngjae shudders, staying close to Kunpimook. 

“Saeris needs us, they need him. You need to take us back,” Kunpimook begs. The man shakes his head. 

“You don’t understand, but we have to do this,” he says, he sounds almost regretful… almost. Kunpimook narrows his eyes, his eyes moving to the stairs they had just come up from. A tall lanky male appeared, hair messy from sleep. 

“Hyung, should I get Jihun?” he asks, his voice is soft and curious. The shorter male shakes his head. 

“I’ll handle it,” the shorter says, turning back to Kunpimook and Youngjae. 

“If you take us back now we won’t have you arrested,” Kunpimook says, keeping an eye on both men. The shorter shakes his head. 

“No, there’s something important that we all receive as a reward if we have him alive,” the male says. 

“And what is that?” Youngjae growls. 

“Freedom.”

A new voice joins the conversation, from the doorway leading into a room below the stern platform. It’s the captain. Jihun. He looked exhausted, dark circles under his eyes, his hair greasy and messy. He looked awful. 

“Freedom from what?” Youngjae inquires, hoping to get a bit more of the story. The Pirate Captain grimaces as he limps forward. Youngjae has seen that limp before, the first time he had encountered the pirates in the alley while walking the streets of Saeris. 

“From who. The captain that took me and many others from their homes and forced them to serve him on his ship. Seungjun and I escaped and created our own crew. But he doesn’t stop trying to get us back. He told us to bring you to him alive, only then would we have our freedom,” Jihun explains, squinting to see in the morning sunlight. 

Youngjae suddenly didn’t know how to feel. These people had been taken from home and forced to live their lives on the ocean. Youngjae couldn’t imagine what his life would be like without being raised by his father and mother. But he still had to escape, he had to get home to his people. He had to get back to Yugyeom, Mark, Jinyoung and Jaebum. 

“Your ankle is swelling like crazy, can I please help you,” the tall lanky male standing near the stairs says, looking down at Youngjae’s bruised and swollen ankle. Youngjae stays behind Kunpimook, pulling his ankle in. Kunpimook doesn’t want them anywhere near Youngjae, but his ankle does look bad and in need of medical attention. 

“I need to be at his side the whole time,” Kunpimook says, looking back at Youngjae. The tall male nods.

“Understandable, come with me. Do you need help standing?” the tall male asks, taking a few cautious steps towards the two as if they were deer in the forest. Youngjae nods slowly. The tall male makes his way to Youngjae’s other side and helps Kunpimook get him to his feet, or his foot. “My name is Dongmin, I’m a medic on the ship,” he introduces himself as he helps Youngjae wall to the doorway where Jihun stands. He moves out of the way to allow the three to enter. Inside, of the infirmary, two of the beds were occupied. One by Heejun who Youngjae had stabbed his leg with a nail and the other whose name they didn’t know. Dongmin leads them over to an open bed and with the help of Jihun, they lift Jihoon up onto the bed. The shorter male from outside walks in as well. He stands at Kunpimook’s side. 

“My name is Jinwoo, I hope you’ll understand our cause and its importance. I’m sorry once again,” he says softly before moving to Heejun’s bed to check on the sleeping boy. Dongmin carefully rolls up Youngjae’s pant leg to look carefully at the swollen ankle. 

“I’ll just have to put it in a splint so the ankle stays in place as it heals. Please don’t try to walk on it so it can properly heal,” Dongmin suggests, looking over the bruised limb. Youngjae hisses in pain as his ankle is brushed by Dongmin’s careful fingertips. Kunpimook takes Youngjae’s hand, holding it tightly. Jihun stands at the foot of the bed, watching carefully. 

“Jihun, go get some rest,” Jinwoo whispers to the captain. He shakes his head in response.

“I have to make sure he’s alright.”

Kunpimook freezes. The Pirate captain wanted to make sure Youngjae was okay before he actually took care of himself? Kunpimook was confused out of his mind, but he didn’t say a word. 

Dongmin is careful as he builds the splint around Youngjae’s ankle. Youngjae whimpers in pain, squeezing Kunpimook’s hand throughout the process. He does his best to keep his leg still so Dongmin can finish. 

Finally, after what seems like forever, Dongmin finishes. “We do have painkillers now if you would like some,” Dongmin says. Kunpimook gives the other a skeptical look. “We’re not trying to kill him,” Dongmin says. And for some reason, Kunpimook believes him. He also wants Youngjae to be comfortable. He doesn’t want the other to feel any pain. Dongmin watches Kunpimook’s face and turns to grab the painkillers for Youngjae, giving them to him quickly to reduce the pain. 

“He should stay here to rest up,” Dongmin suggests, looking at Kunpimook and then Jihun. Jihun nods and gazes over at the white haired male. 

“I just want him to heal,” Kunpimook says. Dongmin nods and checks the splint over one more time. 

“I should go start making breakfast, hyung, can you wake the others?” Dongmin asks.

“I’ll be back,” Jihun says with a small smile before exiting the room. Kunpimook’s eyes watch the Pirate captain as he exits, seeing the worsening limp as he moves. His curiousity causes his eyes to stay on Jihun’s leg. Jinwoo notices and moves towards Kunpimook. 

“Arrow to the leg, had to keep it in for days to avoid losing too much blood,” Jinwoo says. Kunpimook shivers, his own leg aching at the thought. Youngjae squeezes his hand as the splint squeezes against his swollen ankle. 

“Hey, be careful with him,” Kunpimook growls. His muscles tense in anticipation. Jinwoo’s hand wraps around Kunpimook’s bicep to hold him back in he were to move. The white haired male glares back at Jinwoo, but he relaxes, his thumb brushing over the back of Youngjae’s hand. “It’s okay Jae,” he whispers, kneeling down beside the other male. Dongmin works carefully to place the splint correctly so it will heal. 

Finally Dongmin steps back, brushing his hands off on his pants. planks of wood were held together by bandages to work as a makeshift splint. “Done,” the medic says with a smile. “Are you comfortable? I’m sorry that the material isn’t ideal,” Dongmin says, frowning.

“N-no, it’s fine, thank you,” Youngjae responds, pushing himself upright. Kunpimook puts a hand on his back to help him. 

“Do you wish to stay with him?” Jinwoo asks. Suddenly the door opens and a short male with long ash grey hair rushes in. His eyes meet Kunpimook’s and the white haired male can see his eyes fill with rage. He rushes towards Kunpimook, but Jinwoo grabs him by the arms and pulls him back. 

“Let go of me,” he growls, fighting back against Jinwoo, the darker haired male looks like he’s struggling. 

“Minhyuk stop,” Jinwoo says, tightening his grip on the boy. Minhyuk doesn’t stop, fighting against the other male. 

“He hurt Bin hyung,” Minhyuk yells, his voice lowering to a snarl. The boy laying a asleep beside Youngjae’s bed starts to stir, groaning softly. Minhyuk stops, his eyes landing on the boy in the bed. “Bin hyung?” Minhyuk says, his voice suddenly timid and quiet. Jinwoo slowly releases the younger and lets him stumble to the bedside. The boy’s soft eyes open and rest on Minhyuk.

“Hyuckkie?” he says, voice quiet and raspy from sleep. Minhyuk nods as he takes the older male’s hand.

“Moonbin? How are you feeling?” Dongmin asks, walking towards the bed. Moonbin sighs.

“Better, I’m just sore,” Moonbin says. Kunpimook doesn’t look, that’s the boy that Kunpimook stabbed. Kunpimook tunes their conversation out and looks over at Jinwoo.

“Yeah, I’ll stay with him,” he says. Jinwoo nods.

“We’ll be taking some precautions to keep you here. I hope you understand,” Jinwoo says. Kunpimook won’t leave without Youngjae. They couldn’t leave anyways. Unless they wanted to swim home. Kunpimook just nods. Jinwoo turns to leave the room. During the time that Jinwoo is gone, other members of the Pirate crew enter the room to say good morning to their injured friends. Jihun walks in, Seungjun at his side.

“You’re sure it’s okay? You can start using the cane again,” Seungjun says, arms supporting the captain as he walks. Jihun shakes his head. 

“I’m fine,” Jihun says, his eyes landing on Kunpimook. Kunpimook is slow to look away. “Dongmin, you can start with breakfast, Myungjun hyung is going to help out here,” Jihun says, dismissing the young medic. Dongmin nods, ruffling his hair before walking out. 

Seungjun’s eyes watch Youngjae carefully as he passes, moving to Heejun’s side, the boy still asleep on the bed. Jinwoo returns, chains in his hands. Jihun watches him with as he takes Kunpimook’s wrist, clasping the manacle around his wrist and the other around the leg of the bed. He does the same with Youngjae, one wrist chained down to avoid them leaving the infirmary. 

Suddenly the door bursts open, a tall male, with a youthful face looks in. “Sanha? What’s wrong?” Jihun wonders

“A messenger from the Captain,” Sanha says. Jihun straightens, looking over at Youngjae and Kunpimook. He looks back at the sleeping Heejun and motions for Seungjun to come with him. 

“Minhyuk, with me please,” Jihun says. The young boy looks over and nods, pressing a gentle kiss to Moonbin’s forehead before leaving his bedside. Jihun then looks back at their captives. 

“Don’t make a sound if you value your lives,” Jihun says coldly before exiting the room. Kunpimook and Youngjae are left with a sleeping Heejun and Moonbin. 

“Who are they talking about, who’s the Captain?” Youngjae asks, looking over at Moonbin. The younger looks over, Youngjae thinks he sees the male shiver.

“That’s the man who took Jihun and Seungjun as young kids, they escaped them but he won’t stop following until he gets what he wants,” Moonbin explains.

“And what does he want?” Kunpimook asks, his voice cracking.

“The King of Saeris,” Moonbin responds. 

There’s a loud thump on the deck, just outside. They go silent, hoping to hear the conversation. 

“Is he here?” a deep voice wonders. 

“No,” it’s Jihun speaking. “We had to move to another location because locals were getting curious,” he adds. What was he saying? They had Youngjae on the ship, why was he lying if he wants his freedom?

“The Captain won’t wait much longer, he’ll have your head and do the job himself,” the deep voice responds. Youngjae can hear Jihun laugh. 

“He trusts that I’ll get the job done, no need to have my head,” Jihun says, Youngjae can hear the smirk on his face. The man with the deep voice says something quietly before the ship rocks as he leaves the deck, most likely returning to a small boat to get to his own ship. There’s a moment of silence where no one moves. 

“Why didn’t he hand us over?” Youngjae asks out of curiousity. Moonbin sighs. 

“He’s… confused,” Moonbin says, looking down at his hands. Kunpimook looks back at Youngjae with a confused look. But they don’t ask anymore questions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> three more days of school so i should be posting more!!!! i’ll do my best :) i hope you all are enjoying this story 
> 
> \- alexa :)


	11. ten. anger

“Hey, there’s no need to get hostile, he put it back, please just let him go and we’ll be on our way,” a voice says. Jaebum turns his head to the small crowd gathered around a food vendor. The voice is familiar, but Jaebum can’t put a face or name to the voice. He pulls his hood over his head to conceal his identity as he moves closer to the conflict. Finally he can see. There’s a boy on the ground, curled into a ball, the angry vendor standing above him. Another male is being held by two kingdom guards.

“Stealing is a criminal offense young man,” the vendor growls, looking down at the boy on the ground.

“Listen, we don’t have much money, we just wanted a little something to eat, if you let us go we’ll leave,” the other male says. The vendor kicks the boy on the ground in the stomach. The male being held by the guards thrashes in their hold. “Stop,” he growls, his arms straining, veins popping.

“If you resist, we’ll have to arrest you as well,” one of the guards say as he pushing the man onto his knees. the other guard makes his way to the boy on the ground, pulling his arms behind his back to restrain them. the other male uses this chance to elbow the other guard in the stomach. Jaebum moves forward slightly on instinct but the guard reacts quickly, pulling out a blade, tripping the male, pulling his arms behind his back and pressing the blade to his throat.

“You’re under arrest for stealing and assaulting authorities,” the guard sneers. Jaebum finally gets a clear look at the man’s face and remembers who he is. It’s Bang Chan, the man who brought Jinyoung into his home to heal him after he was attacked by pirates. Jaebum pushes through the crowd, earning strange looks because his hood was still up.

“Release them,” Jaebum orders, his voice low and commanding. The guard holding Chan down looked up.

“The King’s Guard does not take orders from villagers,” the guard laughs. Jaebum scoffed.

“Then take orders from your General,” Jaebum says, lowering his hood. The guards immediately go pale, eyes wide in shock.

“I-Im Jaebum, Sir, I apologize,” the guard says, carefully releases Chan, the blade leaving a shallow gash in the pale skin, red blood dripping onto the ground. Chan places his hands on the ground to push himself up. The other guard releases the boy on the ground. He looks up, scrambling to Chan’s side. Jaebum remembers him as Yang Jeongin, the youngest of the group. He presses his hand gently against Chan’s neck, putting pressure on the cut.

“J-Jaebum-sshi, we’re sorry for the disturbance. I will take any punishment necessary,” Chan says, bowing on all fours on the ground. Jeongin looks up at Jaebum nervously.

“There’s no need for that, please stand up,” Jaebum says. Jeongin taps Chan’s shoulders and helps him get to his feet. “What do you all need? You all need to eat, there’s nine of you correct?” Jaebum wonders, pulling out his coin pouch. Chan’s eyes go wide.

“Are you serious?” Chan asks, watching Jaebum’s fingers run over the golden coins in the pouch. Jaebum nods. “W-well there are nine of us, and we don’t have much left in our home, we only need a bit to eat for the day,” Chan says, obviously feeling bad about asking Jaebum to pay for his friends meals.

“Just for the day?” Jaebum wonders. “You don’t need anything else?” he adds, his brows furrowed. Chan shakes his head.

“I can take care of them after,” Chan says. Jaebum can tell asking Jaebum to provide for them would hurt the younger’s pride, he most likely worked hard to get them everything they had. Even with the money they had before it was stolen, they didn’t have much. Small living space, not enough food, tattered clothes.

“Here, I’ll walk you home so you can get patched up, then you can come with me to get you all some food okay?” Jaebum suggests, looking over at Chan and Jeongin. The two nod and begun leading Jaebum to their home.

-x-

“Chan! Jeonginnie!” a voice yelps as soon as the door opens. A man with dark hair rushes in, cupping the younger of the two’s face. “What the hell happened?” he asked, looking over at Chan. His eyes then catch Jaebum’s stare and his eyes widen. “Jaebum-sshi, what brings you here today?” the man asks nervously, eyeing Chan with a glare.

“Woojin, it’s fine, he’s here to help,” Chan explains. As he speaks, more blood spills from the wound on his neck.

“You should get him patched up, he’ll help me get you all some food for the next few days,” Jaebum suggests, looking at Chan before turning to Woojin. Woojin nods and takes Chan’s hand tenderly before his other hand moves to the other male’s face, gently tilting his head up so he can see the cut on his neck.

“It doesn’t look deep, it’s just in a bad spot so the bleeding will be hard to stop,” Woojin says, removing his hand from Chan’s face.“Seungmin is upstairs,” Woojin tells Chan, who soon disappears up the staircase. Woojin then turns to Jaebum as Jeongin makes his way upstairs, following Chan. “Can I get you anything, you can have a seat on the couch,” Woojin says, motioning to the old looking couch in the small living room. Jaebum fights the urge to frown in pity for the group, but he manages a small smile.

“Thank you,” Jaebum says quietly. He recalls how gentle Woojin was with Chan, and he starts to feel a dull sting in his heart. Youngjae is still gone. Even searching in the sky on the backs of the dragons, the pirate’s ship had not been spotted. It was so frustrating. Jaebum knew they would find Youngjae, they had to. Suddenly, Jaebum here’s footsteps coming down the steps. Chan appears, a white bandage wrapped around his neck, wearing a new shirt, his neck clean of blood. Woojin gazes over at the other male worriedly.

“Be careful, stay out of trouble,” Woojin says as Chan approaches him.

“Of course I will,” Chan smiles, kissing Woojin’s forehead. Jaebum’s fists clench and he moves towards the door, opening it.

“Shall we?” he wonders. Chan moves away from Woojin, taking his hand and giving it a quick squeeze before leaving with Jaebum.

-x-

Kunpimook has spent the day at Youngjae’s side in the infirmary, the older male was now asleep, Kunpimook standing at his bedside, tracing shapes on his stomach. Minhyuk had taken Moonbin outside earlier and Jihun was helping Heejun start walking on his bad leg. It was painful to watch as Minhyuk had lifted Moonbin up, the older of the two’s face scrunched up in pain as he moved, a hand placed over the stab wound on his stomach. The door opens causing Kunpimook to turn around. It’s the youngest on the ship. Sanha. He holds a tray and makes his way towards Kunpimook and Youngjae. There are two bowls of soup, two slices of bread and two cups of water on the tray.

“Dongmin hyung asked me to bring this to you,” Sanha smiles, his innocent looks not suited for the lifestyle he lived.

“How old are you?” He asks the younger male.

“Eighteen,” Sanha responds. He wasn’t much younger than Kunpimook but it seemed too young to be living like this. Kunpimook nods, and lets out a soft sigh.

“Thank you for the food,” Kunpimook says, bowing his head slightly. Sanha gives the older male a bright smile before turning to leave. Kunpimook then focuses his attention on Youngjae. He moves his fingers through the young King’s greasy hair, dirty from not washing it. Youngjae takes a deep breath, beginning to wake. He groans and yawns, eyes blinking open.

“Hey, Sanha brought us food,” Kunpimook says, looking at the tray that had been set on the bed. Youngjae gets up onto his forearms and rubs his eyes with his free hand, the other connected to the bed by the metal shackle. Kunpimook takes the soup, stirring it carefully. He takes a spoonful and blows on it to cool it down.

“Are you seriously going to feed me?” Youngjae asked, an eyebrow raised. Kunpimook smiles and nods.

“Of course, my King,” he says, causing Youngjae to roll his eyes. Kunpimook lifts the spoon to Youngjae’s lips and watches the other male eat the spoonful of soup. Youngjae licks his lips and smiles. Kunpimook continues to feed him the soup before taking the other bowl for him to eat. Youngjae suddenly breaks the comfortable silence.

“How do you think the others are doing?” he asks suddenly, eyes downcast. Kunpimook feels a full throb in his heart. He remembers Yugyeom, Mark, Jinyoung, Jaebum and Jackson back in Saeris. They were probably going crazy searching for them. And Jinyoung, the last time the two had seen the older male he was beaten and bloody in an alleyway.

“I don’t know,” Kunpimook frowned, taking another spoonful of soup.

“I miss them,” Youngjae says softly, Kunpimook nods.

“I do too, but we’re going to get home,” Kunpimook says, setting his bowl down and taking a slice of bread, taking a bite.

“I hope so,” Youngjae sighs before laying back down, looking up at the ceiling. There’s suddenly a knock at the door. Kunpimook turns.

“Yes?” he says, an eyebrow raised in confusion. Jihun opens the door and slowly walks in.

“We need to talk.”

-x-

Jaebum walks beside Chan as they make their way through the town. They walk in silence, Jaebum’s eyes catching the long cuts down Chan’s pale arms, he hadn’t seen them earlier from the long sleeves he had worn when they first met or with the run in with the guards. Chan notices Jaebum’s gaze and sighs. “Pirates,” he says, looking over at the older male.

“The Pirates did that?” Jaebum asks. The younger male nodded.

“They came into our home and said they needed our money. Of course we refused, then one of them grabbed me and I could just feel pain,” Chan explains, looking down at his arm. “I passed out after that and woke up to the others standing over me and our money gone,” he finishes. Jaebum’s fists clench.

“We’re going to make them pay, don’t worry,” Jaebum says, patting the younger male on the shoulder. Chan nods.

- _Flashback-_

_Chan say in the small living room, Seungmin and Jeongin playing a card game on the floor, Woojin in the kitchen and the others upstairs. Chan first noticed something was wrong when he heard footsteps and whispers from outside. He stood up from the couch and approached the door. Almost immediately, the door bursts open. Masked men make their way inside, causing Jeongin to yelp in fear._

_“We just need a few things from you,” one man says, his voice is deep and gruff._

_“Get out of my home,” Chan sneers, his eyes narrowed. He watches Woojin out of the corner of his eye, the older male slowly moving out of the kitchen, trying to make it to the stairs._

_“Don’t move!” another male yells, pointing a sword at Woojin. Chan leaps in front of the sword, eyes narrowed. He can hear footsteps upstairs, heading for the staircase._

_“Stay upstairs,” Chan yells, not wanting the others to be at risk of getting hurt. One man pushes through the others, not even wearing a mask._

_“Who are you?” Chan demands, watching the man carefully._

_“Captain Yoo Jaehyung, now you listen to me boy, I need something from you,” the man speaks. He’s a pirate, Chan realizes._

_“You can’t take anything, so just get out,” Chan says, staying brave for the sake of the eight other boys he had sworn to protect._

_“That’s not how this is going to work,” The Captain sighs. He doesn’t even have to say word before two of the pirates surge forward and grab Chan, harshly forcing him to his knees. Seungmin wraps his arms around Jeongin, holding the younger close._

_“Chan,” Woojin yelps, his eyes wide in fear. The captain approaches Chan, wielding a knife in his hand. Chan is terrified, but he won’t show it._

_“Don’t worry, we’ll take what we need and be on our way,” the Captain smiles. The knife then digs into Chan’s right arm, slicing down his arm starting from his wrist. Woojin screams as the Captain begins again, next to the first cut he has already made. Chan can’t keep his eyes open, the pain in overwhelming, He slumps forward, going limp in the grip of the Pirates._

_When he wakes, he’s laying in his bed, eight worried faces, looking over him._

_“W-what happened,?” Chan asked, his voice broken._

_“They took everything hyung, all our money, valuables, gone,” Felix says, Changbin hugging him close._

_“Is anyone else hurt?” Chan asks. The others shake their heads. The pirates took everything from them. And Chan swears he’ll kill to get it back._

_-End of Flashback-_

Jaebum and Chan approach a food vendor selling fruits. Chan’s eyes scan the array of colorful fruit, checking for anything the others would enjoy. “They all really like pineapple and bananas,” Chan smiles. Jaebum nods and takes a bag, grabbing two pineapples and a few bunches of bananas. Jaebum makes his way to the vendor to pay for the fruit. Once he’s finished, he leads Chan over to a different vendor. Multiple types of meat lay in bins.

“Are you sure you’re okay with paying for all of this?” Chan asks, obviously nervous. Jaebum smiles, patting the other male on the back.

“Yes, now come on,” Jaebum says. Soon the two are returning to Chan’s home, holding bags full of food to last the nine young boys a while. Chan stands in the doorway after they bring all the food inside.

“I can't thank you enough, honestly,” Chan says, his eyes watering slightly. Jaebum just pulls the younger into a hug. The Pirates are what he’s thinking about. These nine boys are victims of their crimes just like the seven living in the palace.

“Don’t worry about it,” Jaebum says, rubbing the younger male’s head. “Now stay out of trouble,” he smiles, Chan backing up to look at Jaebum.

“We will,” Chan says, bowing at the waist. Jaebum rolls his eyes with a smile and waves before letting himself out.

Now back to his search.


	13. Quick Explanation

Okay hey everyone. So over the summer I lost inspiration to write, and I feel terrible about not updating. Since I’m in my junior year it’s going to be hard to update but I’m working on the next chapter right now and it should hopefully be up in about a week. I really hope you all stay tuned for more :) 

Also getting the news that Youjin is leaving KNK killed me but I just want him to be healthy. 

Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoy what is to come :)

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everyone! Thanks for waiting for the next book! I will hopefully have the first chapter out soon! I’m super excited for the next story in this universe and I hope you enjoy!


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